


Under Thy Father’s Care

by RougueShadowWolf



Series: Family First [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Daddy Peter, Fluff and Angst, Good Peter, Stiles is called Genim, little stiles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-20
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-01-25 20:49:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1661954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougueShadowWolf/pseuds/RougueShadowWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter understood now all the kings on story books that locked away their precious child up in a great tower, a tower protected and guarded by a vicious dragon. Peter understood the poor kings, for he two would do the same if it wasn’t for his pack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Baby Don't Cry

**Author's Note:**

> I’m so fucking nervous…. I think I’m about to faint or maybe just hyperventilate, or throw up.

 

Morning dawned far too soon and Peter’s anxiety grew, throughout the night as time moved on without pausing for a merciful second or two he imagined all that could go wrong and prayed that dawn would born with heavy rains and cold winds, but the fading darkness and then the glowing light of the new day spoke of no rain or mercy. With the light came the moment Peter Hale had feared so very much.The werewolf laid still on his bed with his precious son sleeping on top of him, the child all peaceful and alive; the little head with messy brown hair lay on top of his chest, a bit of drool escaping the little bow shaped mouth creating a damp spot on Peter’s bare chest while light snores escaped the little body, and the tiny hands kept on twitching just a little just like the little feet.

 

Knowing his son was safe and sound did nothing to stifle the terrifying thoughts that raced around in Peter’s still broken mind. The death of his son, his only child, although Genim had returned to him due to the magic within the small body had reopened several poorly healed parts of Peter’s psyche. For the first few days after his son had returned to him alive and well, and unaware of the amount of time he had been gone from the land of the living, Peter Hale was fine and then the nightmares stared; each dream showcasing a life where Genim hadn’t returned or where his son was back with him but stolen away and killed because Peter allowed his son to stray from his side for just a moment. These dreams had driven Peter to keeping his son indoors and close, he was never away from his Genim’s side, not for a moment even if Peter needed to go and to do something so simple as take a piss; Peter took his son with him even if the other members of their pack were around to keep an eye on the child. Of course Peter knew this wasn’t normal behavior, he wasn’t an idiot, but there was this _need_ to make sure he would never again be forced to hold the lifeless body of his son because Peter had _failed_ to protect Genim again. 

 

The unfortunate fact of the matter was that his son did not appreciate this isolation that Peter had created for them, his son continued to grow more and more restless and unhappy asking with tearful eyes for his daddy to take him to the playground where other kids played, and when Peter declined and tried to sooth his son with promises of ice-cream and cuddles his son always asked if they could at least go outside, this of course resulted in Genim eating ice-cream in Peter’s lap while crying. 

 

It was only after Peter Hale was sat down by the pack and told by every single member that this need to lock his son away was doing the little boy no favors, the bring forth the memory of one Stiles Stilinski and his nature, they bring forth every moment his son has sat by the window hands against the glass asking to be let out. It is the use of the word abuse that startles Peter Hale for he would never wish to abuse, hurt, or harm his son in any shape or form. 

 

Peter is no Sheriff Stilinski. Peter’s only priority and duty is to his son. It is his job to raise a healthy and happy child. 

 

Peter fears this day for he had made a promise that today will be the day when the isolation he had forced his son into would end, the excitement his son had shown the previous day when Cora let it slip or rather she intentionally told Genim he was going out into town tomorrow; his son who had been less bright in spirits began to radiate such happiness that Peter could not and would not break it, he listened to his son talk and talk about how he was going to go to the playground, he even allowed his son call Jackson and tell him where they would be tomorrow so that Jackson knew where they were if he’d come to the house while Genim and Peter were out; there was a strong bond building between his son and the Beta, it was a bond Peter’s wolf had nothing against for there was one word the beast under Peter’s skin whispered over and over again when Jackson’s name was associated with Genim and that word was Brother. 

 

When the tiny heartbeat changed, Peter wished his son would continue to sleep if only for an hour or two, but soon the little boy rubbed his nose against his father’s chest before opening his eyes and revealing the beautiful brown eyes which radiated happiness and excitement those eyes looked at Peter and the little mouth turned up into a smile.

 

`Daddy.´ the little boy said voice still soft with sleep, his gave Peter a bright little smile, even if the little boy wasn’t fully awake, the little hands framed Peter’s face before they moved to trace the face of his daddy. 

 

`I love you so much,´ Peter says as he takes the little hands off of his face and kisses each one, `You know that right?´ Genim nods and says, `I love daddy.´ 

 

`I know you do.´ Peter says softly, he isn’t all sure he deserves his son’s love not after every failure he had made in regards of his little boy as well as Stiles. And yet, hearing his son tell him he was loved brought a sense of calm over Peter. 

 

`Pawk now?´ Genim asks, Peter fights against the urge to frown and the need to make some new excuse why they can’t go, but then again he doesn’t want to disappoint his son or be a cowered like Cora had called him more than once when he’d steal Genim away from her when she tried to take his son outside. 

 

`No.´ the look of sadness that washed over his little ones face cut deep into his heart and the werewolf knows he can't bare making his son unhappy by being selfish. And what his son says only proves what a good little boy Genim is, the little boy gave a short nod and tried to continue smiling but it was a broken smile and the trembling in his sad little voice was enough to shatter Peter’s heart all over again, `Okay daddy, we can play inside.´ Peter sat up, never removing his son off of his chest, simply holding him tightly and settling him on his lap, Peter could feel the little tears that escaped from his son drop onto his chest. `We need to get dressed, have breakfast, and then we can go to the park.´

 

`Pawk?´ Genim asks, eyes wide with hope and disbelief, Peter can’t help but laugh and kiss the mess that was his son’s hair. 

 

`Yes Genim. We’re going to the park.´ the happy little squeal that leaves his son, and the tight hug his little boy gives him while jumping on his lap, is enough to convince Peter and his wolf that they aren’t as terrible at raising their little pup. 

 

** ~*~ **

 

It took everything in Peter not turn the car around and drive right back home, to luck himself and his son inside the house until the end of time, this need to hide away his child struck him even before they had reached the end of the driveway, but the bet Derek and Cora had going on stopped him as did the happy little boy who was nearly vibrating out of his pale skin from pure happiness and excitement. By the time they reached the playground Peter was all nerves, it took him several minutes to get the seat belt off and then a greater struggle with getting Genim free from a contraption that he suspected NASA had created to drive parents mad because seriously he broke a claw, a CLAW! 

 

His son however didn’t seem to notice any of this, Genim just kept babbling this and that, telling his newest favorite plush toy that happened to be a bunny which was a gift from the huntress who had suddenly grown even more attached to the child, and Genim’s favorite thing about the bunny was the ears there was always one floppy ear in his mouth. Genim kept munching on the ear while Peter carried him towards the playground that was rather quiet with only a handful of children and a few stay at home moms; Peter moved away from the ladies that had gathered together and started to undress him with their eyes.

 

_ Bad mothers, useless females, not watching their young, never trust them,  _ the wolf said, agreeing fully with Peter. The werewolf also knew that once the ladies realized how little he cared for their attention they would start to speak ill of him and his son; they had been through this more times he cared to remember, and Peter could handle people speak ill of him, but his son was perfect and innocent and if he wasn’t trying to be a good man whom his son could respect and look up too then he would have rammed his hand in those disgusting mouths and torn out their tongues. 

 

`Swing! ´ Genim yelled excitedly pointing at the object of his desire. Peter could barely hold his son the way he was flailing and wiggling in his arms, and as soon as his son is seated a few of the mothers snatch their kids and join them; the pain of small talk and useless flirting begins, and Peter does try and play nice. 

 

Peter pushes his son on the swings until Genim has had enough and wants to play in the sandbox. Peter continues to move his son from one play area to another and always staying close. The werewolf just can’t relax, always watching out for his son and possible threats; when one of the kids using the slide sneezes Peter snatches Genim and keeps him as far from the snotty little boy as possible.

 

After spending an hour at the park it’s time for lunch, and Peter chooses to have it in one of the small restaurants, although there had yet to be a moment in a restaurant or at home where Genim had a tantrum like other children at his age seemed to suffer from more often than not when it came to sit down and eat. Peter ordered the soup of the day for his son and a stake for his own pleasure; his son sat on his lap and took each spoonful Peter offered like the good little boy he was; opening his mouth and clapping his hands now and again if something didn’t take his attention away this made several members of the staff smile. And because of Peter’s werewolf hearing he heard such praises and compliments about his son that made him and his wolf preen with pride.

 

_ `Such a cute toddler, so well behaved.´ _

 

_ `God, look at him. Those hands.´  _

 

_ `That little smile.´  _

 

_ `I wish my Tommy was that well behaved.´  _

 

Peter couldn’t help but smirk as he listened to the way people were talking about his son, but his smile shattered when Genim suddenly started crying, and that was enough to startle everyone in the restaurant. 

 

`Baby, what’s wrong?´ Peter asked dropping the spoon, and trying feel for any possible pains his son might have, and one hand sneaks up to feel his temple but there is no warmth and no pain. 

 

`Sowwy, daddy, sowwy.´ Genim cries and moves to hide his face against the soft fake-fur of his bunny. 

 

`Baby, please tell me what’s wrong.´ Peter is starting to panic, his wolf demands him to help their pup. 

 

`I sowwy. I no hungly mo’e.´ the answer has Peter silent for a minute because he isn’t sure he understood what his son was telling him, and then he laughs a nervous laughter while asking, `Is your tummy full little one.´ and the desperate wail of a sound that escapes his son with the word Yes has Peter turning his son around so he can look his son in the eye, and as he kisses the forehead of his brilliant boy he smiles before speaking with a soft and reassuring voice, `Don’t cry little one, it’s alright. I’m happy you’re full that’s good.´

 

`But I can no eat mo’e daddy, I can no eat mo´e.´ Genim hiccups and Peter smiles at his boy who peaks up at him from behind the bunny. 

 

`It’s fine baby. It’s fine. You ate as much as you could, yes?´ the child nods, and Peter kisses the cheeks that taste of salty tears before telling his son that there was no need to worry about not being able to eat such a big bowl of soup. 

 

`You no mad? ´ His son asks while resting his head against Peter’s chest. 

 

`Never baby. Never ever.´ Peter promises and spends the next five minutes just comforting and reassuring his son how much he loves the little boy, and wondering if this worry that edged along the line of fear his son showed because about not being able to finish his meal had something to do with Genim’s past as Stiles Stilinski. 

 

** **

 


	2. All I Care About Is You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter loves his son more than he loves his expensive shirt, he loves his son more than he loves himself and that is saying something, and he can’t understand why his son doubts it so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this sucks. 
> 
> I'm so sorry about the long wait, but the past two months have been so horrid so much so that I lost my way for a moment.

 

Leaving the restaurant with a tiny brown paper bag that held within it something that smelled like chocolate and buttercream, the treat was a gift from the ladies of the restaurant which simply proved what Peter had already known to be true lovely ladies had a soft spot for his son. He carried his little treasure without effort or complaint revealing in the feeling of his little boy resting against his body; Genim had regardless of his father’s promises that he had done nothing wrong cried his little body into exhaustion and sleep. The ache Peter had felt with each “I’m sorry” made the werewolf swear with what were the remnants of his soul and heart that he would heal the damage done to his son by Sheriff Stilinski, Peter would not allow his little boy to fear retribution for such small and innocent things as being unable to finish a meal. 

 

Listening to the slow and peaceful breathing and feeling the light puffs of air that came with it against his neck calmed the wolf, as did the blessed thumping of the little heart that should never fall silent again. He took his time walking to the direction of their car, each step careful so not to disturb the rest his son needed, he enjoyed carrying his son and he could not imagine anything ever feeling as right as carrying his son did it was perfect and natural. 

 

Then again, since the moment Peter Hale had found Genim in the hands of those evil witches, there hadn’t been a single part of him that hadn’t wholeheartedly believed that the child belonged to him. Peter had always felt a strong connection towards Stiles Stilinski, even when he’d been a crazed Alpha he had felt something tug at his inner core stopping any attempts to truly harm or risk the life of the young man, **** but the moment Stiles had been changed into Genim every instinct within the werewolf had screamed , “Mine!” and “Pup!”. And the moment the child looked at him and reached for him Peter had felt less like the burned down shell of a man he had become, the darkness and hatred in him lessened and kept doing so with every passing day. ****

 

`Daddy?´ the word yawned out soft and sleepy snapped Peter’s thoughts to a halt and he focused back on the little gift the universe had granted him for some unknown reason, he stopped walking because his son deserved his full-attention. 

 

`Yes, baby boy? ´ His son began to shift little heart picking up speed, Peter knew he should have known from the change in the heartbeat that his son was waking-up. 

 

Lifting his little head off of Peter’s shoulder which gave the werewolf the perfect view of his son’s anxious expression, little brown eyes wide and fearful and by the Moon there was nothing about that look that Peter did not hated. 

 

The little boy worried his lower lip and Peter was just about to tell his little boy to stop when the tiny mouth opened, and with a voice anxious and low, `You mad? ´ that simple question, that innocent little question his son directed at him was enough to cause the wolf to whine, neither the beast nor the man could understand why their little one thought them so horrid that the little boy feared retribution over what had happened in the restaurant. 

 

`No, Genim, no.´ Peter says voice as soft and tender as possible, and between the words he places soft little kisses on one cheek and then the other, he can taste the saltiness of tears spilled not too long ago during Genim’s moment of distress, `Why would I be mad little one? ´ Peter’s heart trembles with his own sorrow over the damage Mr. Stilinski had done to both Stiles and Peter’s little boy. 

 

The little boy frowns, and then scrunches his face as his little brain fights to find the answer to the question, and Peter swears he can hear the gears working inside that wonderful little head. It didn’t take too long before Genim finally found what he was looking for, and the lowering of his gaze and with a voice all apologetic his darling boy speaks once more, and what his son says cuts deep into the burned heart of Peter Hale.

 

`I no behave good, daddy. I sowwy, I behave no good daddy, ´ the tears were starting once more and Peter hugged his son closer to his body, `I no eat all.´ 

 

`It’s alright baby, it’s alright.´ Peter tries to reassure his little boy that he wasn’t mad about his little pup not finishing his meal but Genim was too caught in his apologize to hear Peter, and wasn’t that just something that turned Peter’s stomach. 

 

`An I cwied, I sowwy.´ Peter tried to hush his son, calm him but Genim was far too worked up to hear him, `I sowwy daddy, I may you look bad daddy, I sowwy.´ Peter was sure he was about to be sick in the middle of the sidewalk because his imagination conjured up images of Sheriff Stilinski dragging Stiles, for some reason it was this eight-year old boy with hair cut so short that the strands of chestnut brown hair wasn’t even an inch in length, the man dragged the little boy up to the second floor and into the bedroom of the boy and there the man of law proceeded to beat the little boy who started apologizing while snot and tears escaped the little body; and Peter nearly started sobbing at the horrible creation his own mind had created, he couldn’t handle the idea of Stiles being abused like some worthless animal. 

 

`I now I bad, I sowwy.´ Peter hates the way his son sounds, the way he seems unable understand that Peter isn’t mad with him, `I may you look bad daddy. I sowwy.´ his little boy continued to apologize and Peter sensed the incoming panic attack, and there was something so incredibly wrong about a toddler having a panic attack. 

 

A toddler, a child should never have a panic attack.

 

Peter tried his best to sooth his son, while hurrying towards his car and by the time he and Genim were in the backseat the little boy was struggling to breathe and still he continued to gasp out apologize. 

 

Peter had no idea of what he should do, and so he just held his son close and made sure Genim could hear his heart beat and the rumbling sound which he hoped would comfort his little boy; the sound had comforted him and his siblings when their mother or father had created the deep comforting sound. 

 

`You’ve been so good little boy. You’ve been such a good boy Gem.´ 

 

_ What did that bastard do to his son?  _ Peter wondered while desperately trying to sooth his son who was suffering from a panic attack Peter had not been able to halt or prevent, so all he could do was support and protect his little boy until it was all over. 

 

Peter waits patiently for his son to calm down, he stops talking and simply rumbles and sings gently the old lullaby his mother had sang to him, a song which had been passed down from mother to child and now father to son. And slowly Peter feels himself calming down as well. 

 

** ~*~ **

 

_ `So, any regrets? ´ His sister asks as she sits down next to him on the old porch swing that broke years before the fire that destroyed everything. Peter looks at his big sister, Talia was still striking but there was a softness to her appearance he’d only seen a few times when she caught her alone with her mate and children. _

 

_ Peter took his sisters hand in his and held it tightly.  _

 

_ `Daddy! Look!´ Peter’s attention turned from his sister to his son who was holding up a fat black and white cat Peter didn’t recognize, the cat was almost as tall as his son because it was dangling all limp and strangely relaxed while being held like the cat in the Disney movie Bernard and Bianca, `Kitty!´  _

 

_ Claudia Stilinski beamed at her little boy and kissed his cheeks before whispering something into his ear.  _

 

_ `I bet you regret being a daddy.´ Talia asked and Peter’s attention turned from his son to Talia and he yanked his hand out of hers and glared at her bloody murder, `He’s a handful now and will be even more of a handful when he gets older.´ _

 

_ Peter is up on his feet before he knows it, and he can’t stop the growl that escaped him and struggles to speak through a mouthful of fangs, `I love him. He’s my son. I love him.´ and dear heaven how much he loves his son, he’d burn down the world for him, hell Peter would happily burn hundred times if his son would stay safe and happy, ` He’s perfect Talia. He’s such a good boy.´ Peter turns his gaze towards his son who is now holding the cat in a much more gentle fashion while sitting in his mother’s lap, `He was such a brilliant teenager, and yes he got in to a whole lot of trouble because of ME.´ and that realization hurts. _

 

_ Perhaps Peter had caused Stiles more damage than good when he’d bitten Scott McCall, perhaps he’d made the Sheriff abuse Stiles even more because Peter bit Scott and Stiles was so loyal to his only friend. _

 

_ `Stop.´ Talia says sharp and so much like the Alpha she’d been, her eyes are glowing red and he stops thinking, `Stop thinking like that. What that man did to his son, ´ her hands framed his face and her touch was firm but comforting, `was and is not your fault, the neglect and abuse was not your fault.´  _

 

_ `I love him so much.´ Peter whispered because he was almost ashamed of how much he loved the child, `I want him to be happy. I want to be a good father.´ _

 

_ `You **are** a good father.´ Taliasaid her voiceunwavering, and Peter almost argues against it because he’d already failed Genim more than once, but his sister knows him too well and denies him that. She turns their heads so that they could see the little boy who was telling Claudia all about his new family or perhaps he was telling the cat that had drifted off to sleep, ` **You are**.´ _

 

_ `You’ve **always** wanted to be his father. You’d do anything for him.´ and Peter would, Peter would do anything _ _ for his son; he’d even get married to one of the drag queens Stiles Stilinski had befriended if his son asked him too, Peter might even consider a sex-change if it promised his son a safe life. _

 

_ `But I…´ Peter began but his sister shook her head and cut him off with a voice all Alpha and less sisterly when she told him to just stop worrying about the little things and just enjoy what he finally had.  _

 

_ `You’ve always wanted him, Peter, and now you have him.´ Talia said while hugging Peter tightly, `So enjoy him, enjoy finally being a daddy.´ Peter held his sister tightly and he wished she’d not left him, that she could be there to help him be a parent because she’d been brilliant at it even if Derek had fallen in love with the psychotic bitch Kate Argent.  _

 

_ `Daddy.´ his son called out while Talia whispered into Peter’s ear, `You are a daddy Peter.You’re really a daddy now Petey.´ _

 

_ `Daddy?´  _

 

_ `Time to wake-up Peter, time to be a father to your little boy.´ Talia said all loving and joyful and Peter wished they didn’t have to separate, that he could drag her with him to the world of the living. _

 

`Daddy?´

 

`Daddy?´ Peter snaps awake when he hears the way his little boy sounds worried and fearful, the scent of anxiousness is an unpleasant in his nose as is the scent of urine, the scent of fresh tears startles the werewolf. 

 

`I sowwy.´ the boy on his lap says while trying to create some distance between him and Peter, and the wolf isn’t really awake enough to understand why his son is crying and why his son is trying to get away from him, and instead of letting his son go Peter simply tightens his hold and his baby grows more fearful and apologizes even more than before; his son keeps apologizing like his little lie depends upon it and it’s rather confusing for the werewolf.

 

But the more he begins to wake-up the more Peter’s mind catches up to everything. His son had wet himself and Peter knew that Genim was expecting him to be angry at him for doing so and thus soiling both himself and Peter, which was ridiculous considering that the child was just a toddler and accidents happened; hell, Derek had peed all over Talia’s new carpet at age of six because he was too caught up playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with his sister to notice the growing strain on his bladder. 

 

`I sowwy daddy.´ Genim cries while Peter holds him as close as possible, hushing his trembling child and ignoring the wetness that has been created against his stomach, he just rubs the tense back of his little boy while struggling against his own tears while listening to his son apologizing over and over again, `I bad I sowwy.´

 

`You’re not bad, baby boy.´

 

Peter swears on his life, he will kill the sheriff one way or another, or at least maim him, `You have never been bad.´ 

 

`I love you so much.´ Peter begins to say when he realizes his son doesn’t believe that he isn’t a bad boy, and Peter will rip that thought right out of his son by showering him with love; he will need to tell the pack about this little issue Genim has, no one will ever be allowed to call Genim a bad boy and if they do they’d better flee to center of the earth because Peter would rain holy hell on them. 

 

`I love you so much baby boy.´ it broke his heart to hear his son hiccup out a disbelieving, `You do?´

 

Peter nods and says with such surety that anyone should hear the truth, `I do. More than anything.´ Peter gazes down at the little face that looked swollen and read from all the crying, skin irritated from the salty tears and Peter kissed the sore cheeks before saying, `I can never love anything as much as I love you baby.´ Peter uses the sleeve of his shirt to dry away the snot that has escaped from his son, running down all the way to the little chin of his baby boy, `Blow baby.´ and his son obeys like the good and trusting child he is, Peter lets his son empty his nose on the sleeve of the very expensive shirt which was worthless compared to his son.

 

`I love daddy. I do.´ his baby boy cries while hugging him tightly, `I sowwy I no good.´

 

Peter just holds his little one, `You _are_ such a good boy Genim. You are so good Genim. You are such a good boy, never doubt that.´ 

 

`I am? ´ The little boy hiccups against Peter’s neck and the werewolf simply hums out a yes. They sit there until Peter feels his son falling asleep once more, and carefully he moves his son into the car seat and straps him in. There is no way he will take his son grocery shopping after the day they’ve had, they can try doing it tomorrow but today no. 

 

Damn their Alpha if he has a problem with it. 

 

_ The Alpha loves our pup,  _ the wolf said, so sure of the Alpha’s love for their pup, _out Alpha will forgive us, he will._

 

** ~*~ **

 

Derek was just finished the paperwork he needed to get done before the end of the week rolled in, he’d yet spoken about his own plans for the future with the pack but he was sure none of them would have anything against him expanding himself to something more than just an Alpha, when the sound of his uncles car driving up the road caught his ear.Derek glanced at the old clock on the wall of their library, a clock that Cora had found in the ruins of their old house when they started to remove the decrepit building that had become a deathtrap, she’d made demands for him to find someone to fix the old clock up and so he had done; the sound of the gears and the ticking were loud and heavy and the wood still smelled of smoke and fire but there was still something rather comforting about the old clock. 

 

It was early too early for Peter to return to the house with Genim from their planned outing, and Derek swore that if Peter had just lost his nerve he would have his uncles hide; Genim needed to get out of the house, the little guy needed to experience life like your average kid even if Genim was anything but ordinary. 

 

Sure, keeping Genim lucked up inside the house would keep the child safer but Derek hated the idea of locking away little Genim from the world; to do so would be nothing more than a less hostile form of abuse.

 

With a sigh Derek slid the papers into one of the draws of the old desk and locked it before heading out to see what excuse his uncle had for being home so early in the day. Derek stood still and waiting until Peter had parked the vehicle he preferred to drive around in ever since his son had come to him, even Derek abandoned happily the Camaro for one of the more child friendly vehicles for the sake of keeping the child safe; which left Cora to cruise around in the car that had once been their sisters more often than what Derek would have preferred it. 

 

There was something about the smell that sneaked out from within the car that made the Alpha anger born from a sense of disappointment to become replaced by concern, he pulled the car door open without warning even before Peter had parked the vehicle properly because the stench that pulled at his wolf was a horrible cocktail of fear and sorrow and they came from the youngest member of Alpha Hale’s pack and family. 

 

Genim Hale startled awake by the opening of the door and it took the little one just a moment to fully grasp at where he was and what was going on. 

 

Derek focused on the smells that came from the little boy, and it wasn’t the unpleasant smell of urine or the snot that almost had the Alpha recoil from the child, it was the unholy strength of fear and sorrow, and Derek nearly growled when he barked out the question, `What happened? ´ But it wasn’t his uncle who answered but the little boy who was suddenly wide-awake and tearful. 

 

`I was bad.´

 

Nothing could have prepared Derek for that little piece of information and he turned to look as his uncle who suddenly looked utterly defeated. 

 

`I cwied.´ the little boy continued, tears streaming down his painfully red cheeks which he turned away from Derek as if he thought himself unworthy to be gazed-upon and Derek would have none of it, he quickly unstrapped the little boy and scooped him up into his arms and cradled him like the precious little child he was. 

 

`There’s nothing wrong with crying Gem,´ Derek said while moving away from the car, kissing the little tears away before continuing, `There’s nothing wrong with crying, everyone cries sometimes.´ if it was his voice or the words Derek wasn’t sure, but the little boy seemed to calm down just enough to listen to him, `You’ve seen me cry, haven’t you? You’ve seen daddy cry, haven’t you? ´ 

 

Genim Hale looked like he needed a moment to think, and so Derek allowed it while nodding for his uncle to follow him into the house. His uncle reeked of Genim and the little guys piss, while also tears, snot and heavy hearted sadness. Something terrible must have happened and Derek would like to know what, but first he needed to make sure Genim was alright, 

 

The little head resting against his shoulder gave a nod, cautious and little but a nod none the less. 

 

`Would you say I’m bad because I’ve cried? ´ Derek asked, and the boy was quick to say no which tugged at Derek’s lips because the child was so sure and unwavering. 

 

`And what about daddy, has he been bad because he’s been crying?´ Derek heard his uncles heart begin to race, he could without giving the man a single glance tell the his uncle was suddenly overpowered by the guilt that came from Peter killing Laura, and that was a guilt Peter had to deal with on his own. 

 

The question of Peter’s virtue visible startled the little boy who sat up and turned to look at Peter, young eyes wide with alarm and little arms reaching out for the man who’d become a father by some divine interference. 

 

`Daddy no bad.´ the little boy said with such faith that it made the Alpha smile, he watched as the words sunk into his uncle who looked shocked by the undeniable faith Genim had, `Daddy good.´ there was such belief behind those words that if Derek had not already known the devotion between Peter and Genim then he would have learned then and there how firmly the relationship had been formed between the older werewolf and the toddler, `Daddy no bad. Good, daddy good.´ and Derek had to hold on to little boy who continued to reach out for his daddy. 

 

`Well then kiddo,´ Derek said while he moved towards Peter who looked incredibly pale as he stood there in the foyer of thehomely home, `if I can cry without being bad, and if daddy can cry without being bad,´ Peter seemed to snap-out of his daze when his little boy let out a little whine, the older werewolf reached out for his son and Derek gladly allowed his uncle to take the little child because it was clear that his uncle was in a dire need for comfort which only the little boy with beautiful doe-like eyes could give. 

 

`Well, then if daddy and I have cried without being bad,´ Derek said as he felt the little boy vanish from his hold, `then how can you have been bad by crying? ´ 

 

Genim had his tiny hands petting Peter’s face almost before he was safely held by his father, and Derek could see and feel the tension in his uncle drain away by the gentle little touches.

 

`I good? ´ the little boy asked looking into the teary eyes of Peter Hale who looked anything like the deranged monster he had been years ago when he killed a member of his own family or when he bit Scott McCall and thus dragged Stiles Stilinski into a world the teenager had not been aware of; the monster had died with the arrival of the little boy, and Derek could see that, he could see the uncle he had once had return with each passing day. 

 

`You are better than good baby boy.´ the older Hale informed the little boy before planting a gentle kiss on the forehead of the little boy who still seemed so hesitant to believe himself to be anything but bad, `You are the best boy in the world, ´ Derek felt a bit awkward watching the display of affection and excused himself which went un noticed by Peter and Genim.

 

`And daddy loves you more than Reese’s’…´ but before Peter could finish what he’d been about to say, Derek heard the little boy gasp out in a mixture of disbelief and maybe the tiniest bit of horror, `But you LOVE them much much!?´ both Derek and Peter can’t help the laughter that escapes them at that. 

 

The last thing Derek hears before vanishing back inside is Peter telling Genim how he loved the little boy much much more than the little treats Peter had always cared for so much more than any other sweets that had ever touched his mouth. 

 


	3. Public

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter Hale had nearly forgotten how pleasant it could be to go to the store with his little one, he’d nearly forgotten the feeling of pride that washed over him when he could show the superiority of his little boy. But there were also dangers there he’d forgotten all about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the chapter were we get a taste of Lydia Martin, a little taste. I’m not all that nervous about the Lydia thing, I’m more worried about the beginning and little Genim giving advice and the almost falling asleep thing.
> 
> I think I have a thing for Peter feeding Genim...

 

 

 

Peter can’t stop smiling down at his little boy. Peter can’t take his eyes off of his precious son who was his happy little self again, the disaster of their previous attempt at going into town long forgotten after days of fawning over the little boy.Genim sits like the good little boy he is in the seat of the shopping cart, his little bunny nicely placed on his little lap, eyes bright with delight and cheerfulness while the little bow shaped mouth was covered in a messy chocolate substance.

 

Between picking the things on the list Derek had provided him, the werewolf would feed pieces of the rather sticky chocolate cake to his son who was being spoiled because he deserved it, the cake had been handed out to everyone who stepped through the little bakery next door to the store from where Peter was supposed to find everything on the shopping list; Peter felt bad about not going into the bakery and buying something, but considering how Derek would not appreciate it as the Alpha always baked their breads and other delicious treats.

 

`Yummy? ´ Peter asked while ignoring another look of disgust a fellow shopper sent in the direction of his little chocolate monster, he ignored the look the middle-aged woman gave his son because Peter would rather focus on Genim’s happiness than some useless woman’s misplaced hatred; just because she’d probably been unable to have a little boy as adorable as his son had left her incapable to enjoy the wonder of Genim Hale, and that was what he believed very firmly.

 

Genim nods vigorously before opening his mouth like a baby bird, and with a wide smile Peter slipped another piece of chocolate goodness into the open mouth of his little one who gives happy little applauds as soon as the treat is in his mouth, while closing his little mouth a little moan that held the power to satisfy Peter’s ever growing need to provide for his son; the little sound and the happiness of the little child has the wolf prancing about and preening with pride because the pup was clearly much more pleased with his life than the other children in the store, there was no denying that some of the other children were whining and complaining and even throwing tantrums while their little pup was all smiles and pleased sounds.

 

 _Perfect pup, better than those misbehaving whiny things,_ the wolf thought while taking in the poor excuses for children around them, while Peter reached into the bag he always carried with him after becoming a father and pulled out one of the juice-boxes from within the bag.

 

 _Their all envious of our pup,_ the wolf thought rather smugly while Peter kissed the top the little ones head as he tried to see what his daddy was up too.

 

 _Useless mothers_ , the wolf says as he watches a very unhappy looking woman grab her daughter by the arm because the little girl had decided to throw a tantrum.

 

Peter ignores the wolf and holds the juice boxes with one hand up to his son’s mouth, the little boy does not need instructions to understand what is required and so the little mouth latches onto the straw with ease and begins to suckle immediately. Seeing how content his son was, seated there while the world around them continued on in a far more displeasing sort of way,  messy hands latched on to Peter’s shirt where they could reach mostly likely ruining the white blouse he’d bought only a week before Stiles Stilinski had gone missing. The werewolf had noticed early on how his son always seemed to latch on to him when he attended to needs like this, there was always a little hand holding or touching him in some form when suckling or drinking from one of the many different sippy-cups that had been bought for the little boy. But then again Genim seemed to have an almost constant need to touch and feelthose he deemed worthy Peter knows it was Genim’s way of finding comfort in a world that was far too big for him. Genim keeps at first an eye on him, seeking still reassurance he’s doing the right thing while also trying to drink as much and as fast as possible as if thinking Peter would yank the drink away before he was finished, but with a few words of encouragement and advice calm down and not to drink too fast the little boy relaxes visibly. And once sure his juice is safe those wonderful brown eyes gaze around taking in the surroundings, they hadn’t been to the store in what must feel like forever to someone so young and unaware of time.

 

Peter notices the moment something really does draw his son attention. Peter follows the gaze of his son to a boy in the shopping cart next to theirs. The boy looks like he might be a few years senior to Genim, wearing all black which is really a horrible choice of color for any child that isn’t a teenager or at a funeral. While watching the older boy try and escape from the cart his father who was on his phone talking about some deal that had fallen through, blaming the misfortune on some newcomer, Peter frowned slightly as he began to wonder if Genim would start to behave like the child who had been throwing the things he could reach inside the cart out of it; but as always Peter was pleasantly surprised by his little one who suddenly pulled away from his juice and  with a voice full of anxiousness asked, `Daddy, he no ‘now not to leave calt?´

 

 _Good pup, perfect pup,_ the wolf preens before snorting, _look at that bad father, not watching his pup._

 

`Perhaps.´ Peter says while kissing the forehead of his brilliant boy, who then turns towards the boy that looked like he could have been the lovechild of his nephew and a less than happier version of Jackson Whittemore.

 

`Hey. Hi.´ Genim says waving at the boy who’s now almost out of his seat, and just glares at Genim like he’d just personally insulted him, but Genim seems oblivious to the look and continues to say with a seriousness Peter had yet seen his little boy possess, `You no leave calt. You stay the’e. Safe.´

 

The little boy looked absolutely dumbfounded by the advice given to him. Peter has to fight against the laughter that wants to burst out of him, because his son was simply too adorable being all serious and worried about the safety of the other boy.

 

`Good you stay the’e.´ Genim nodded when the older boy slipped back into his seat.

 

Peter just had to give his son a quick little peck on one of his rosy cheeks, to which his son responds with a great big smile, `You are such a good boy Genim. So very good.´ Peter says while his wolf preens underneath his skin over the brilliance that was their pup.

 

They had just reached the fresh produce section when Peter’s attention was once more drawn by his little boy, who called out to him with a slightly worried voice, `Daddy? ´ Peter was well aware that his little boy could have thrown a tantrum when he’d told his him there was no more cake, but instead of a tantrum or sulking Peter’s little boy asked if they could get grapes because Genim liked grapes.  

 

`Yes baby?´ Peter turned his full attention towards his son, dropping the locally grown tomatoes back where he’d found them and hurried over to his little boy, seeing the way his son was smacking his lips told Peter all he needed to know.

 

 _Our pup is thirsty,_ the wolf growled unhappy because they hadn’t noticed it before their pup had to tell them, _we need help him, fix it._

 

`Thirsty? ´ Peter asked even though he knew perfectly well that Genim was in need of some refreshments.

 

`Yes daddy. Please daddy.´ Genim answered in an almost half-apologetic sort of a way, which just won’t do so Peter hurries to run a hand over his little boys cheek much the same way he had done after his son had allowed him to clean the chocolate mess around his face that had been born when Peter had mistakenly thought his wonderful boy could eat the piece of cake on his own, the gesture of comfort and affection calms the anxiousness and the little boy just smiles at him while Peter takes the last of the organic juices he’d carried around, he would need to contact the farm from which he’d bought several crates of juice-boxes and cartons because they were running low on both Isaac’s favorite juice and Genim’s juice-boxes.

 

After becoming a father Peter had decided to try and keep his son on as much organic foods as possible, and he would never allow his son the drink the stuff sold in most stores, and he would make sure his son never drank the horrible energy drinks or sugar-bombs Stiles Stilinski had consumed. Not to mention drinking alcohol was simply out of the question considering the trouble his son might get into and the alcoholism he’d seen in the Sheriff.

 

`Here you go sweetheart, ´ Peter said when he finally mastered getting the straw in the right place and brought it to the little mouth.

 

`Thank you daddy.´ Genim said before latching on to the straw, Peter held on to the juice-box and patiently waited for Genim to finish drinking,  he kept petting the little cheeks and as he stood there Peter began to wish he’d experienced Genim or Stiles when they had been newborn.

 

Peter would have loved to have held the newborn and gone through all the sleepless nights that came with it, even the colic baby Stilinski had experienced would have been a nice thing to go through or at least Peter would have loved to have been there walking around an otherwise silent house and cradling the unhappy baby while draining away as much as possible of the discomfort the little one would have felt.

 

When Genim opened his eyes after holding them closed while simply enjoying his drink and the gentle and soothing touches Peter provide, and briefly look up at Peter it made him think he should just be grateful he’d been given a chance to be a father the one child he’d wanted as his own.

 

And Peter Hale was so very grateful for his son. He was beyond grateful and would like to know what higher power had deemed him worthy of such a gift after being such a monster in the past.

 

 _Oh Mother Moon how much I love this child,_ Peter thought while pushing away all thoughts about what he would never have, and what he had been, and instead he focused on what he had and what he had was so much better than what Peter had ever imagined possible.

 

`Done.´ Genim says when there was no more juice to drink, and Peter stops imagining Genim graduating high school and the speech his son would give the way his werewolf heart would burst with pride when his son graduated college.

 

`Good boy.´ Peter says even if he knows some would argue it a unnecessary praise, but considering how much Genim doubted his good nature Peter felt it was important to tell the little boy everyday how good he was, `Shall we finish shopping? ´ Genim gave a nod while turning his attention back to his surroundings while chewing on the soft floppy ears of his bunny.

 

Here and there during their shopping Genim would ask questions like why Peter took one brand of toilet paper instead of another or why some apples were green and others red, and Peter did his best to give the answer and explain things so that the young mind of his son could grasp and understand the information. There was a large part of Peter that enjoyed the hunger for knowledge his son had, even if at times like these when he tried to concentrate on getting everything on the list it should have irritated him to no end but it didn’t.

 

Peter was still in a good mood when he’d paid for the large amount of groceries he’d bought, not everything he’d picked out from the store were on the list of goods needed but there were just things Peter felt he or Genim needed; as well as a new toothbrush and toothpaste for Jackson and the hair conditioner Isaac preferred to use, he also made sure to grab the sodas he knew Scott liked and a box of the fine chocolate he knew Allison enjoyed, while also grabbing Cora the tampons she would need in a few days while also grabbing several different chocolate treats for her to devour once the need arose.

 

Satisfied that he had everything Peter pushed the shopping cart full of paper bags and the little boy who was now looking like he might just fall asleep where he was seated, Peter could have placed his son in the car when they’d reached the vehicle but he’d read enough horror stories about ruthless thieves stealing a car with a baby in it to do such a thing; so he kept his son where he could see him while unloading the cart of the all the bags, even if it left Peter with the unpleasant view of his son’s head bobbing every which way as the child struggled against sleep and every little whimper or whine was like a painful cut through Peter’s heart.

 

`Just a little while longer, baby.´ Peter said as placed paper bag number six in the back of the car, `Hanging in there sweetheart.´

 

`I tly addy, ´ his son whimpered.

 

Peter had returned the shopping cart where it belonged and was crossing the small parking lot carrying his little boy who had fallen asleep as soon as his little head dropped on the shoulder of the werewolf, when a loud, `Oh my God.´ startled him to a pause.

 

`Oh my God,´ he turns just enough to see the familiar strawberry-blond girl he’d once attacked in hopes to bend Stiles Stilinski to his will, a strawberry-blond woman really with expensive clothes and shoes, a deadly young lady who had caused the death of his son.

 

The sight of Lydia Martin so close to him and his son is enough to cause the werewolf to lose some of his control, he feels the set of human teeth become anything but human and he feels his claws come out, he flashes his eyes at her; it’s a simple warning.

 

Lydia looked like she’d seen a ghost and maybe to her that was what she thought when she caught sight of Genim Hale who thankfully was unaware of the danger he was in.

 

Peter bolts towards the direction of his car fear flaring within his heart, the werewolf would not allow the deadly human take away his son again. He needs to get his son safe inside the car; he needs to create distance between him and her before she can do something that will result in Peter laying down his dead child into another grave. Peter will not lose his son again she will not take Genim away from him again. 

 

The shock, the disbelief Lydia Martin had been sporting was quickly released and replaced by something like desperation and pleading, even the words she called after him, asking him to stop and wait but he would never again listen to her.

 

 _She is a serpent and you can’t trust her_ , Peter thinks as he hurried across the parking lot, he knows it well enough for he too had once been a deadly beast without morals, perhaps he had been worse than what Lydia was but she’d killed his son and could therefor never be trusted; she wanted Stiles back and would do anything to get what she wanted regardless of how it would hurt Genim and him.

 

The heartless bitch would never destroy or take his son. She would never get another chance to destroy Peter’s life again.

 

Stiles was gone. He wouldn’t come back.

 

The oldest Hale is barely in control of the wolf that wants the freedom to maim and kill the threat, but Peter knows better than that he knows killing a seemingly innocent female would summon every hunter into Beacon Hills, so he had no other option than try and escape with his son intact.

 

`Addy? ´ the little boy yawns out just as they reach the car. Peter says nothing, can’t without revealing the sharpness of his teeth and then again he’s too focused on getting his son into the safety of the vehicle to come up with something to say.

 

`Daddy?´ the little boy whimpers while Peter adjusts his hold, and it’s only when the little boy says rather pitifully, `too tight daddy.´ that he realizes how ungentle his hold is, how bruising his hold of his little boy was, but Peter can’t focus on his son because _she_ is far too close, dangerously so.

 

`Hale! ´ She shouts, desperate and demanding, `Stop! Please wait! ´

 

Peter places his son inside the car, straps him in as quickly as he can into the seat that should keep the boy safe if some useless soul crashed into their car or Peter lost control of the vehicle, he straps his son in quickly even with claws out. ****It is only now that he realizes his son has started to cry, and if they weren’t in such a dangerous situation then he would comfort his darling boy but Lydia is so close and he needs to keep her away. But his son keeps holding on to Peter and the little hands just won’t let go.

 

`Genim, let go.´ the werewolf growls when he can hear Lydia just two parking space away from his own, `Let go.´ his son shakes his head and tries to get closer to Peter but the little body is so firmly restrained that Genim just can’t get close enough to settle his nerves, `Now!´ Peter snaps while forcing the little hands off of him, he doesn’t notice the sudden stop of tears or the way the little arms and hands drop down like they were made of led. Peter pulls away from his son and slams the car door shut before turning around to face the woman dressed in a pretty dress that’s a pale-blue color.

 

`Stay away!´ Peter roared while Lydia continued towards him and his son who was thankfully safe inside the car, her steps are anything but cautious they seem foolishly brave to the werewolf.

 

Lydia Martin didn’t seemed deaf to his demands or she simply didn’t care about it, she continued her advance, and her voice was full of disbelief as she spoke, `He’s alive? He’s back? How? ´

 

Peter continued to bark at her to stay away which Lydia ignored, which wasn’t all that surprising, she continued to make her own demands which she had no right to do.

 

`I need – I need to see him.´ her words triggers memory of the day he’d lost his son, when Genim had died leaving Peter to hold and cradle the lifeless body of his only child, the horrible feeling returns to him like a ghost and he feels a coldness spread through his body. He can smell the water of the lake, the smell of death. The memories are too much and he moves fast and she takes step back but it doesn’t help her much because he’s there in her face in seconds.

 

 `You will NEVER go near my son again.´ Peter shows her his fangs, flashes his eyes, `We will not let you take him from us again.´ then as he turns around and stalks back to his car, he snarls out the last warning he will ever give the young woman, `We will kill you if you so much as try and come near our pup again bitch.´

 

Peter slips into the car and without much thought about speeding limits drives home, his control slipping as he can’t get rid of the itch to destroy and kill that haunts beneath his skin. His wolf demands release.

 

He barely parks the car outside the house he lives in with his son and the remaining members of his family, Peter’s barely human now and he howls for his Alpha who is out on the porch just in time to see Peter vanish into the Preserve and roar, `Take him! ´ after that Peter frees the wolf to run and chase inside the boundaries of the Preserve.

 


	4. This Dreadful Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He loves his son. He does. And still he messed-up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah not a happy chapter this one, sorry….

 

_ He was chasing something with a wild heart, erratic and quick, deliciously young, stubborn, loud and fearful like that of a rabbits but this was no rabbit he was chasing.This was something more delicious than a simple creature with soft fur and big ears. This was something better, something delicious and strong.  _

 

**_ _ ** _ He continued to chase it even after he heard a familiar voice crying out, `Daddy! ´ He needs to catch his prey first.  _

 

_ He was getting so close, so very close to his prey.  _

 

_ `Daddy! ´ He hears the familiar call out from somewhere, fearful and desperate, he knows the voice but can’t say from where because his hunger is now far greater than before.  _

 

_ He quickens his steps no longer bother to be silent as a ghost, he speeds through the terrain until he sees his moment and successfully lunges at the creature he’s been chasing.  _

 

_ It cries out, of course it does, when he catches it. It’s much smaller than him and he has no trouble covering the small short throat with his mouth biting down hard. ****He could just rip the throat out with his teeth, it would be messy a fast kill.But he decides to just crush the windpipe because he loves the sound that comes from breaking down a windpipe. _

 

_ He loves the feeling of the life and death struggle that comes with it.  _

 

_ He hums happily as he feels the creature struggle against him, for air, for life.  _

 

_ The wonderful sound of the heart that keeps fighting so stubbornly and fearfully to not stop is music to his ears. He digs his fangs deeper until he tastes the delicious blood of his young prey it makes him groan with satisfaction. He holds the creature close and tight, his claws digging into the soft flesh.  _

 

_ The last stutter of the heart makes him grin.  _

 

_ When the body is silent, everything’s stopped no more heartbeat, no blood running around uninterrupted he unlocks his yaw from his prey and finally looks down at the creature he’d caught.  _

 

_ It takes him a minute. No, barely that. It takes him a few seconds to understand what he is seeing.  _

 

_ `Gem? ´  _

 

_ He’s holding his little boy in his arms, lifeless, the beautiful face stuck in an expression of not peace but fear. The scream that breaks through him is one of grief and horror because he’d just killed his own child and found pleasure in it.  _

 

Peter wakes-up screaming, sobbing uncontrollably into soft cold ground beneath him. His heart aches something fierce, and he wants it out of his body because dear god the agony. It takes time before he exhausts himself enough to just lay there on the mossy ground, his heart racing inside his chest. He breathes in and he breathes out, listening to the sounds around him the morning birds and the slowly trickling light through the trees tells him its morning. There’s a thin mist lingering over the ground, a ground stained with blood but instead of the corps of his son he sees what had once been a mountain lion but now it was just a creature in pieces. 

 

`Thank you. Thank you.´ Peter sobs, laughs up at the heavens. But soon his need to see his son has him up and washing his bloodied body clean in a small stream, the water causes him to shiver but he’d rather feel that chill than frighten his child by coming home covered dried blood. No child, especially his should see such a disturbing sight. Once he is sure he’s clean, sure he’d got all the broken claws of the creature he’d ripped to pieces and sharp teeth out of his flesh, Peter began to make his way home his steps quick and light and he thinks as it is so early in the morning that he would make breakfast for his little pup and the rest of his family who had cared for his son last night. 

 

Peter pauses only when the faint sound of crying reaches his ears, he tilts his head to the direction of the sound and his heart nearly halts within his chest at the familiarity of the distressed weeping. 

 

_ Genim,  _ Peter’s heart begins to race and he sets of running as if the devil himself was chasing him through, and the closer he comes to the house where he and his son have settled in with his niece and nephew the greater his own distress becomes as he hears his son in such a great need of him. 

 

_ Faster. Quicker. Our pup needs us,  _ the wolf grows at him and Peterpushes his body to its limit and he curses the fire that had weakened him and the wolf curses the loss of their Alpha power for it they had it they could have been at their pup’s side by now. 

 

Crashing through the last barrier of trees Peter hears his son whimper, ` I b-bad.I b-bad.´ then little hiccups of, `No. Love me.´ and he can hear Derek try his hardest to comfort the toddler that started wailing loudly once more. There’s such soul wrenching distress behind the crying that Peter fears what nightmare had brought his little one such unhappiness, and he worries if this nightmare would brand some part of Genim’s young psyche. 

 

By the time Peter bursts through the front door that isn’t locked, which is something he will need to address his Alpha about later on, he hears the sound of retching coming from the kitchen, and the stench of bile hits his sensitive nose. 

 

_ Our pup is ill?  _ His wolf whines loudly and claws at its cage demanding release because the human side had paused briefly in the foyer but Peter keeps the beast down and rushes into the kitchen where he finds not only Derek but also Cora as well as Isaac.

 

` I sowwie.´ Genim cries loudly while Derek hands him over to his sister, there’s a patch of bile on Derek’s shoulder and it’s running down the back, but Derek doesn’t look upset by it the slightest. Isaac hurries to remove the onesie that has also got some of the sick that made the kitchen smell horrid, `I sowwie. Sowwie.´ Isaac looks incredibly sad and shakes his head as the child continues to apologize. 

 

Peter can’t continue to watch his son crying the way he does his little face bright red and body trembling and so he rushes past Derek who’s pulling off the soiled item of clothing he’d been wearing, and snatches his sobbing child from Cora who goes from looking shocked to glaring at him in seconds but Peter doesn’t have time to worry about Cora’s reaction for his son needs him.

 

Peter is startled by the high temperature coming off of his son, Genim looks feverish his voice his raw as he continues to apologize between sobs. 

 

`WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!´ Cora roars furiously causing Peter to jump a little and hold his son who’s still calling himself bad once more, her eyes flash yellow and there are fangs and claws and if Isaac didn’t hold her tightly in his arms she would have probably lunged at him. 

 

`Out for a run.´ Peter answers while trying to cradle his son but all it does is cause his pup to throw-up once more, and now he’s really worried.

 

`He’s been crying for you for hours.´ Isaac says voice laced with anger unlike any Peter had heard before, `Gem hasn’t eaten or drank anything, he’s been crying himself sick.´ and that has Peter going absolutely still. 

 

`He thinks you hate him.´ Derek says with a sad voice while grabbing one of the little towels with Winnie the Pooh and his friends on it, soaking it under running water.

 

Peter’s heart nearly stops at that piece of information, and he shakes his head because how could his little boy think his daddy hated him, how could his little boy think he didn’t love him? After everything they had been through, after all the times Peter had sworn his love to his little boy, how could Genim think he wasn’t loved?

 

`Addy h-hate me.´ he hears his son wail against his shoulder all loud and desperate, and the little heart that is working overtime doesn’t skip a beat telling every werewolf in the room that little Genim believes his words to be entirely true. 

 

`No. No. No.´ Peter says quickly, each no growing firmer, ` I don’t hate you baby. ´ 

 

`Well he thinks you do, he thinks you don’t want to be his daddy anymore because he was bad or something.´ Isaac explains while Cora continues to growl and snarl at Peter, `That’s all we’ve gotten out of him between the crying and being sick and passing out.´ 

 

Peter glances up at his Alpha who’s now standing in front of him and his son, placing the wet cold towel against Genim’s neck and back, there’s such sorrow in Derek’s eyes as he looks down at the little body that keeps trembling as Genim cries, `He’s convinced you gave him to me.´

 

The mere thought of Derek taking his son has Peter backing away from his Alpha, shaking his head.

 

_ Ours, our pup not his,  _ the wolf beneath his skin snarls and growls, _our pip not his never his._

 

Peter tightens his hold of his son, afraid that maybe Derek will attempt to take his son. But Peter won’t allow it he will run with his son barefoot and naked to Canada or Mexico if Derek so much as tries to take his son.

 

Derek’s voice is soft and gentle as he speaks, a little sorrowful smile tugging at his lips, `But he doesn’t want a new daddy, he only wants you Peter.´ the Alpha strokes the messy hair of Peter’s son who whimpered for his daddy one more time before going back to crying uncontrollably. 

 

`I’m here baby.´ Peter says softly kissing the shaking shoulder of his half-naked son who smells of bile, sweat, snot and a horrible mixture of fear and grief. But his words and gentle kiss does nothing but upset his son even more.

 

`You should probably take him upstairs,´ Derek said sounding as exhausted as he looked, the Alpha steps away but not before placing a gentle kiss on the back of Genim’s head, `He needs you Peter.´ 

 

`You can’t be serious, ´ Cora roars and Isaac really has to use all his strength to hold the she-wolf from attacking Peter, ` HE abandoned GEM! It’s his fault that Gem is the way he is now.´

 

`I didn’t abandon him.´ Peter snapped, the accusation wasn’t fair or correct for that matter, it was false and cruel and he would not bare it, `I left him with family.´ He holds his son closer, and glares at Cora, `I left him with people I trust.´

 

Cora opened her mouth to say something, but is silenced by the roar of the Alpha, `Enough. Peter upstairs. Cora take a run. Isaac go with her.´ Derek flashed his Alpha-red eyes but his voice lacked the demand of an Alpha.

 

`He screws-up and I get punished? ´ Peter hears Cora yell while he obeys his Alpha without arguing. Peter ignores the raised voices and arguing and tries to focus on his son, who is still crying so hard that the body shakes as if son was going through a terrible seizure. The little heart was working hard even with the tiny gasps of air his son managed to get between sobs. 

 

Peter made his way into their bathroom and began to run a bath hoping soaking a bit in warm water would help ease the tension in his son’s body, and perhaps bring his little boy out of his head long enough to realize that his daddy was back and that he was loved. Removing the diaper that was soaked with urine wasn’t easy as his little boy refused to let go of him, but somehow Peter managed it well enough without dropping his little toddler, but by the time the diaper was removed his little boy had been sick all over again causing the wolf to grow even more frantic beneath Peter skin. 

 

`Addy.´ his son whimpered while dropping his little head, against Peter’s shoulder, `I want daddy.´ 

 

`Baby boy,´ Peter says softly chocking down his own tears, he’d rather be burning alive again than experience the grief he felt over the state his pup was in, `I’m here. I’m here.´ but it was clear his son was still trapped inside his head, unable to understand or believe what Peter was there.

 

Once the bath was ready Peter slips into the warm water his son still wrapped in his arms, his little heart whimpering against his shoulder about being bad and not being loved and wanting his daddy. The warm embrace of the water felt heavenly as Peter settled down, shushing his little boy who seemed to grow more distressed by the liquid embrace but settled down after a few minutes allowing Peter to grab one of the washcloths so he could finally begin to wash his son clean. While he washed the little arms he noticed fresh and unwanted bruises. 

 

Peter feels his heart lurch inside his chest, he feels like the water he’d been bathing in had turned to ice when he realizes who had bruised his son, it was _him_. Peter had hurt his son. Peter had hurt his own son when he’d forced Genim to let go, when he’d been in too much of a panic over Lydia to control his own strength; Peter had hurt his own son, he’d hurt his precious little boy. 

 

The realization of what he had done was enough to finally shatter the delusion of calm, and he began to sob against the soft mass of brown hair and between sobs of, `I’m so sorry baby, ´ he swear on his own life he would never hurt his baby again; and if Peter had to amputate one of his hands then so be it, he would, because he would not allow himself to become the monster Sheriff Stilinski had been towards Stiles. No, Peter would kill himself rather than hurt his son. 

 

`Oh baby I’m so sorry.´ Peter said his own tears now escaping freely while kissing the bruises he’d left on his little boy, `I’m so very sorry baby.´ Genim whimpered at the contact but didn’t fight him, `I promise, I swear,´ he paused for a moment because his life wasn’t worth swearing on, the only life worth anything to him was the one he was holding and so he said, `I swear on your life baby that I will never hurt you again, and if I do I’ll cut my own hand off.´ 

 

_ Never hurt our pup, never,  _ the wolf snarled beneath his skin, and it was well prepared to chew any piece of its body if they hurt their pup again. 

 

`Daddy.´ his son whimpered, `I want daddy.´ and then his son began to cry once more. 

 

`What happened inside that little head of yours baby? ´ Peter asked as moved his son so that he could gaze at the little face that was in Peter’s opinion the most adorable creation the universe had ever created and his wolf agreed whole heartedly with that opinion, and Gods help anyone who dared to argue with their view of Genim Hale. 

 

Peter feels his heart sink just a little when the little boy refuses to look at him, to even open his beautiful eyes. 

 

`Genim.´ Peter puts just a little bit more authority into his voice when his son continued to callout for him, `open your eyes.´ the little boy shakes his head and continues to cry for his daddy and so with just a little bit more firmness in his voice Peter demands his son to look at him, and slowly the toddler obeys him and brown eyes puffy and red gaze at him cautiously. 

 

`Hi there.´ Peter says while trying to smile encouragingly but it’s difficult to do when he could see the emotional turmoil his little boy was going through. 

 

`D-daddy? ´ Genim hiccupped before throwing his arms around Peter’s neck and wailing loudly, `I be good I plomise. No leave me. No leave me daddy.´ listening to his son swear he would be better, would be good, and beg for him not leave him did nothing to make Peter feel less wounded by the situation, he felt like his heart was being torn. 

 

`You are good. You are so very good.´ Peter tells his son, kissing away the tears he could reach, `You are such a good boy Genim and daddy loves you. I love you so much.´ his heart ached as he held his son tighter, `I’d never leave you baby.´ 

 

`B-but daddy gave m-me away.´ his son wailed even louder, and Peter knew his son would soon be sick once more if his little boy didn’t calm down, and it made Peter wonder if he should just call Melissa for help because Genim wasn’t calming down, `Told Dewekto take me. I no want Dewek! ´ 

 

_ What?  _ Both the wolf and man were confused now, both perplexed by the words their pup had said. 

 

`I want my daddy. No Dewek.´ and suddenly Peter recalled what had been said and done before he’d vanished into the forest to chase away the anger and fear coursing through his veins, and Peter wasn’t ignorant enough of his son not to understand what Genim’s young mind could come-up with. Peter was left feeling like a fool for not having the foresight to know what his son might think when Peter had rushed away leaving Genim alone and worried, `I no want Dewek. I want daddy.´ 

 

`You’ve got me baby.´ Peter tells his son over and over again but his son continues to cry himself to sleep which is almost for the best for Peter has been brought to tears which do not halt until he too falls asleep on their bed with Genim using him as the matrass and that is how Derek Hale finds them. 

 

 

 


	5. Cry No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There wasn’t a river wide enough to keep them from crossing if their pup was on the other side. Genim Hale was something they hadn’t thought possible to have and so there could and would never be something other than Death that could keep them away from their pup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little chapter to enjoy or hate. I honestly hope I managed to display a little bit of how much Peter loves Genim even if he does sort of hurt him… And I know the whole Peter taking his son to the toilet with him might be off-putting but this is Peter’s only way to ensure his little Genim doesn’t wake-up crying. Oh and I’m aware that the wolf is a bit creepy but imagine surviving what it had… Oh and sorry about the short chapter darlings.

 

There was nothing more wonderful than waking-up to the soft sound of steady and peaceful breathing that came from your child curled up close to your heart. It didn’t matter to Peter that there was a lingering scent of tears and snot and vomit still latched on to his baby boy, because his son was there and sleeping peacefully; the familiar weight and warmth of his son against his chest and stomach felt so very right, even his wolf seemed pleased with the moment so much so that they could easily ignore the hunger gnawing at their insides instead focusing on just enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. Peter honestly didn’t care about the little bit of drool and snot that escaped from his darling boy, because his son was peaceful and happy and so was he. 

 

This serenity of the moment was a gloriously change after witnessing Genim’s uncontrollable breakdown. Peter remained unmoving on the bed with his clever but so very sensitive son on his chest, and as he stayed there hunger gnawing at his insides Peter made a promise that he would do everything in his power never to cause his son such turmoil again for he desired to never again see his son in such a state as he’d seen his little boy in earlier that morning.

 

Peter closed his eyes and allowed the soft sounds his son made to bring him the sense of calm only Genim’s presence could provide him. With Genim around his mind would go silent and he could find peace like no other. 

 

Peter could hear was the soft beating of the little heart, he could feel each of its tiny beats which reminded him of how fragile his youngling truly was at any other moment Peter might have allowed his mind a momentary freak out by the realization how fragile the barrier between the little heart and the world outside the small body was; but at that hour Peter Hale’s mind had gone quiet, lulled into a state of tranquility by the soft little sounds of his son created while in peaceful slumber.Slowly the werewolf began to drift back to sleep, a hint of a smile on his lips as he soaked in the warmth of the small form using him as a matrass and pillow, his heart content with the knowledge that both he and his son were safe.

 

It was almost midday when Peter finally stirred awake due to the unpleasant heaviness of his bladder which was screaming for release. His beautiful baby boy was still sound asleep on top of him, and if there hadn’t still been as much pride within the once mad werewolf then Peter might have risked the possibility of having an accident in bed, although he was sure little Genim wouldn’t judge him but the others in their small family and pack would; back when he’d been trapped inside a broken body wetting himself had been a daily humiliation, and Peter held no desires to experience any of it again and so Peter began to try and move his son off of him. 

 

Gingerly Peter began to move the sleeping form off of him but immediately little hands began to grasp at him while sleepy but none the less desperate whimpers started escaping from the little boy that had become Peter’s by a blessed wickedness, a boy who had been saved and turned into his whole world by the sacrifice and love by its mother who had died long ago and unaware of the wonderful life she had created for Peter to enjoy and love. 

 

However much Peter loved his son, and he did love his little boy more than _anything_ , he needed to use the toilet and so although it hurt his scarred heart to upset his sleeping son he continued to detach his little boy from his own body.The still sleeping toddler’s adorable little face was scrunched up and his lower lip was trembling telling the werewolf who had never imagined he’d become a father after the destructive fire burned off his family and body, and the change in the little heartbeat told the werewolf that his son was close to waking up, and the growing sourness and saltiness to his baby boy’s scent told Peter that Genim would be waking up in the form of bursting into tears; and that was no way for his precious little boy to start the day, his son deserved better than that. 

 

`Hush now baby boy,´ Peter said softly before placing a gentle kiss on one of the rosy-red cheeks, while one of his hands ran up and down the tense back of his little boy, `everything fine baby boy,´ but there was no sign of the little boy calming down if anything it was most certainly the opposite, `just sleep.´Peter attempted to comfort his precious child by nuzzling against the feather soft hair at the top of the little head but the scent of unhappiness that continued to grow had Peter surrendering.

 

With a sigh Peter picked his son up while sitting up, he had to go but he had to take care of his son too. 

 

Genim whimpered and his little hands continued to try and hold on to him, showing off how at least in Peter’s mind how the events of the previous day and the way Peter had handled them had left a mark on his son’s wellbeing.

 

`I’m so sorry baby.´ Peter spoke softly, his apology not the false creation of a liars tongue but the truth for he truly felt the horrible hand of guilt squeezing his heart and lungs, `Daddy’sreally sorry baby.´ 

 

Peter moved to plant a gentle kiss on the top of the little head that held a brain that had been so marvelous when Genim had been in the form of Stiles Stilinski, and Peter believed firmly that with good parenting and a great deal of love that Genim would grow far more brilliant than Stiles; for Peter had seen the damage neglect and loneliness had seared into young Stilinski, he’d seen and heard first-hand how Stiles would belittle his own worth and achievements at every turn and how he accepted only dismissal and the suggestions that he wasn’t as good or valuable as others in their pack. Peter would suffocate anything that would try and make his son to underestimate his own gloriousness. Peter would snuff-out the smallest of cruel thoughts that might ever dare to arise within the beautiful mind of his son. Peter would not allow his little gift to suffer the way Stiles had. Under his love and care, and the support of his pack, Peter would make sure Genim would never suffer like Stiles Stilinski had. 

 

_ Ours. Ours to love. Ours to raise. Ours.  _ the wolf in him whispered while Peter settled the tiny human that was so very light and fragile against his hip, supporting that little body with just one arm and hand, _Ours to care. Ours to protect. Ours._

 

The new position seemed to be somehow enough for his son to realize that his daddy wasn’t going to leave him, and with that knowledge settled within him Genim Hale stock his little thumb in his mouth while a content little noise escaped him. 

 

There was no denying that a smile appeared on Peter’s face as he watched his son find peace in their closeness.

 

_ Our perfect, perfect pup,  _ the wolf purred with satisfaction and the deepest of devotions, it had lost much in its life but gained something it had imagined impossible to gain, _always ours._

 

Making his way to the bathroom Peter couldn’t help but recall the desperation his wolf had once felt while the two of them lay trapped in a hospital bed, trapped in the same useless body, their minds reliving the horrors of the fire and the thoughts of what had been and what would never be playing through their charred minds;both he and his wolf had grieved the loss of hope when it came to ever having a child of their own to care and love, never thinking that one day they would be called daddy or that they would be loved unconditionally by someone smaller than them or to feel the fragile little body of a child hold on to them in search of protection and love. It seemed strange now to think that the lonely life they had imagined could have been possible, it was a thought Peter preferred to ignore for it made him and his wolf feel uneasy enough for them to need to hold their pup closer; there was no reason to look back to fearful and vacant thoughts created by two broken minds, for the time was now to focus on the heavenly gift they had been blessed with. 

 

He continued to hold his sleeping son as best he could while taking care of his own need, enjoying the feeling of his son resting against him while his bladder stopped aching and a relief washed over him. And as he stood there, the end of his tortured state drawing nearer, he began to feel something trickle against the fabric of his sweatpants and the bare skin above the waistband. 

 

In all honesty Peter wasn’t all too surprised when he felt the warm liquid that started to soak through the onesie his son had been wearing, it was his own fault for forgetting to put a diaper on his son before crawling into bed and it was his own fault for emptying his own bladder with his son still sleeping and latched to his side. Of course the sound that came as the pressure was released from his bladder was also disturbingly loud in the small space, and he was aware of some sounds always had a reaction on his son. Peter groaned at his own stupidity, but couldn’t help the light chuckle that followed as his little boy gave out a satisfied sigh when the surprisingly heavy flow ended.

 

If it had been any other child pissing on him then Peter would have most certainly growled or snarled at the child, the act of someone urinating on him would have enraged his wolf to lash out, but this was his little boy who meant no harm and so an accident like this could easily be ignored and forgiven, it could even be a little bit amusing with the right sense of humor. 

 

Planting a soft kiss on the slightly flushed cheek of his little boy and with gentle words Peter began to coax his son away from his peaceful slumber so they could both get cleaned up and dressed for the fresh new day. Peter could smell the bacon and what had to be waffles and it made his stomach rumble, and he was certain his son would need nourishments as much as he did. 

 

Slowly his son began to whine and whimper in unhappy protest. But when Genim opened his beautiful eyes it was without a single hint of a frown or glare, there was only the sleepy softness on the sweet little face and Peter couldn’t help but smile as his heart swelled with pride and love. 

 

_ Good pup, such a good pup,  _ the wolf purred in approval and Peter had to agree. His son was so sweet and gentle by nature that he could not understand why Sheriff Stilinski hadn’t been able to love Stiles the way the boy had deserved. Peter was certain only madness could make a person not love someone as undeniably beautiful and pure as the child in his arms, and insanity was something Peter was painfully familiar with.

 

Peter had once upon a time given up any desires to have _this_ to have a child of his own for the sake of strength and power, he’d abandoned the want for a child for the sake of vengeance and madness, but this moment like so many others he’d shared with Genim since finding the child in the filthy and cruel hands of a demented hag was the reason why not a single part of the werewolf would strive for power; there was now something far mightier in his life than the desire to be an Alpha, Genim was far more valuable to Peter and his once so power hungry wolf, the strength and power of an Alpha was of no use to them anymore for they had an Alpha and a pack to protect and defend them and their little pup. ****

 

Now with the return of some sanity one which hadn’t been experienced since before the fire, Peter and his wolf had found the honorable desire to care and raise their pup, this want chasing away the unhealthy hunger for power that had consumed them whole like the flames that ruined the Hale’s. 

 

There was nothing more important to either one than to see Genim grow into the finest of young men they had ever come across, and hopefully one day if the stars and the moon blessed them they would hold in their arms the children that would be their grandchildren, children that would never recognize the sheriff as anything but a shadow of a man moving through the streets of Beacon Hills, there was something about the mere thought of successfully raising their pup that had both Peter and his wolf feel the unexpected tears of joy whisper behind their eyelids and threatening crawl their way to freedom. 

 

There was a paper thin barrier between the tears that had been born from the idea that they could have everything they’d dreamt about before the fire,and that wall was the knowledge that seeing his daddy cry might upset the precious child, and so Peter moved his son into a better position in his arms and kissed the top of his sons head, murmuring against the soft strands of brown, `Hi there baby boy.´

 

`Addy?´ Genim mumbled before yawning heavily, rubbing his tiny fists against his once more closed eyes, fully trusting Peter to not let him fall and if that trust didn’t do things to both him and his wolf then they were undoubtedly dead. 

 

`I’m here baby. Daddy’s here. I’m not going anywhere baby.´ Peter replied kissing the forehead of the child that suddenly went completely still and dropped his little hands like they had burned his little face and tiny tears began to trickle forth.

 

`I sowwie daddy.´ Genim whimpers while turning his tearstained face away, the scent of shame and fear sprouting forth from the little body. 

 

Peter immediately hushes his son, kissing away the tears that were running down the pretty little cheeks, ` _You_ did nothing wrong baby. Nothing at all.´ and when Genim tried to protest Peter pulled his son tightly against his chest and him as close as possible without hurting him, repeating the words once more. 

 

`You’ve done nothing wrong, nothing. Daddy loves you, loves you so much.´ at times like these Peter finds himself wishing his son was a werewolf only so that his little boy could hear the truth behind his words, but Genim isn’t tied to the moon like most of the members of their family and pack, and so all he can do is to keep repeating words of comfort until his son stops crying. 

 

`That’s my darling boy.´ Peter smiles down at the little boy who’d stopped crying but still seemed a bit cautious, `now, I think we should take a quick shower, don’t you agree baby?´ Genim just nods, and it’s clear his son still feels very ashamed of what had happened and it causes Peter’s heart to ache. 

 

`Genim, do you know what an accident is?´ Peter asked while starting to strip both of their clothes, the way Genim tilts his head and frowns tells the werewolf the little boy is thinking hard, and when he gives a cautious nod Peter knows his son isn’t sure if he really understands the meaning of the word. 

 

`Well, Genim, ´ Peter says while wearing alight smile on his face and undressing his perfect boy, his eyes avoiding the bruises he’d created and trying to think of a simple way of explaining the meaning of an accident to his darling boy, `did you think about wee-weeing on daddy and your onsie? ´ Genim looks up at him with wide eyes and shakes his head, before quickly saying, `No. No daddy.´ 

 

Peter plants a gentle kiss on the crown of his sons head before removing the last shreds of clothes that stopped them from slipping under the pleasantly warm shower, `Well, then, what happened was an accident, and if it’s an accident then, then daddyreally can’t be mad at you now can he? ´ 

 

`Daddy can.´ Genim says voice sincere and sad.

 

`No. No.´ Peter says firmly before turning on the water in the shower, `Daddy can’t be mad at you for having an accident. And daddy would never be mad at you for having one.´ 

 

`Plomise? ´ Genim asks, hopeful but still slightly doubtful and if that didn’t sit well with Peter or his wolf, and as if sensing the unhappiness of his father and the beast beneath his skin Genim began to pet Peter’s chest. 

 

They can smell the worry and uncertainty and it makes the wolf in Peter demand it to be fixed, immediately. 

 

`I swear on my life Genim.´ Peter says while trying out the water temperature with one hand while the other continues to keep his son close to him, enjoying the feeling of the delicate little thing attached to his side.

 

Peter knows to cherish these moments, these times he can spend with his only son who would eventually outgrow being held by his father, but for now his son seemed to like nothing more than to be held by him.

 

`I will never be mad at you for having an accident baby, never ever.´ Peter says with an air of seriousness but there was also a gentleness there which the werewolf would never share with another living creature. He moves to stand beneath the soft spray of warm water, keeping his son away from the full flow of the cleansing liquid for he knows Genim does not like it when he’s completely at the mercy of the water showering down on him. Peter doesn’t stop reassuring his son of the fact that he would never be angry at his little boy for having a silly little accident, and Peter understands that accidents are due to happen in the future for his little boy is after all Stiles Stilinski. 

 

Peter of course hopes that Genim will not have the sort of accidents that involves dead bodies and stumbling upon them. 

 


	6. Meanie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter tried to be a good father, but sure his own selfishness kept creeping up and screwing his plans of being a good father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are going to hate Cora in this one… or you might just hate the whole damn chapter.

 

Genim is babbling. It’s all nonsense really but it’s what his son does and so it’s fine or rather better than fine, a babbling Genim is a happy and healthy Genim.Peter can’t help but smile a little as his little boy babbles away while clearly trying to figure out the mysteries of buttons, little fingers trying to figure out how to unbutton at least one of the button’s on Peter shirt, but from the clumsy movements the werewolfknows it will be awhile before Genim will master the talent of unbuttoning and buttoning clothes which is good because Peter has a feeling that once his son figures out the art of removing his own clothes without his help then there would be a very naked little Genim running around the house.

 

Peter brushes the feather soft hair that keeps growing on the top of his sons head, and there is something soothing about grooming his little boy and Peter finds himself hoping that once his son would never grow too old to indulge Peter by allowing him to brush his hair once in a while; at least until Genim had his own kids and then Peter would get to brush and perhaps braid their hairs. 

 

There is a part of the werewolf that wants to keep Genim little forever, but there is also a part that yearns to see Genim grow into the wonderful young man Stiles Stilinski had been and to see him find love; and Peter really did want a couple or more grandkids to spoil rotten. But yes, Peter wanted to keep Genim little for as long as possible, and if the werewolf was honest then his want to keep Genim little might be a little bit influenced by his want to be needed. 

 

Peter stepped back to admire his work once Genim’s hair was as smooth as silk. He can’t help but smile down at his little boy who looks slightly disgruntled with the sudden distance that had come between his tiny fingers and the buttons on Peter’s shirt, there’s even a small pout there that would melt the iciest of hearts.

 

His son was wearing his Winnie the Pooh onesie, the soft yellow fabric still a little bit big around the small body and if Peter had to be perfectly honest he was not all that fond of the outfit, he’s spent thousands of dollars pretty outfits; Peter was however well aware of how much Genim loved the onesie and for at least a few days he would allow his son to wear whatever his little heart desired if it made kept his little boy happy and comfortable. 

 

`Don’t frown baby boy, ´ Peter laughed while reaching out to stroke the sweet round little cheek of his most precious of possessions, `you are too beautiful to wear such an expression little one.´Peter planted a gentle kiss on each little cheek, on the smooth skin of the little forehead that felt a tad bit too warm against his lips, and then the little nose which had his son squealing with delight all the unhappiness disappearing. ****

 

`That’s my boy.´ Peter hummed approvingly before scooping up his little boy up, kissing the top of his little head before settling him against his hip, and like always Genim settled in easily like he’d been designed to be held and carried around by Peter. 

 

`I always youl boy? ´ Genim asked cautiously while his little hands were slowly sneaking towards the buttons once more.

 

Peter might have held his son just a little bit tighter after that little question.

 

`You’ve always - always - been mine Genim, and you will always be my little boy.´Peter said while making his way out of their room, his answer made Genim smile a little brighter and if that just didn’t make Peter feel a whole lot better about himself as a parent. 

 

They were halfway down the first flight of stairs when Genim suddenly started to wriggle and whine in his arms and Peter had to pause and look down at him, one eyebrow raised.

 

` Genim? ´ Immediately Genim turned his gaze down at his little hands that were fiddling with one of the buttons, `Genim, what’s wrong? ´ Peter turned watched as Isaac came walking up the stairs carrying one of their many laundry baskets and reeking of Cora, the younger werewolf looked at Genim and then at Peter with a look that said, “What’s wrong with the baby?”

 

`I fogot Bunny.´ Genim whined which had Isaac chuckling a little and Peter had to fight against his own little laughter that wanted to escape him, but all that came from him was the loud grumbling of his stomach which had Isaac tilting his head a little. 

 

`Hey, Gem wanna take a magical basket ride? We can pick up bunny.´ Isaac’s words had Genim looking all wide-eyed and excited.

 

`Can I daddy? ´ the toddler asked looking up at Peter imploringly, ` Can I daddy? Can I? Please.´ 

 

`Who am I to deny you a magical basket ride?´ Peter sighed, and carefully placed his little boy in the basket, but before he and Isaac passed each other and going their separate ways he growled a warning, `You drop him and I will break every bone in your body, you hear me?´ Isaac just gave a short nod before heading upstairs while carrying the basket that now held Genim who was giggling happily which of course brought a smile on Peter’s face, but yes Peter would crush Isaac if his little boy was hurt along the way. 

 

Following the scent of sausages and crispy bacon and scrambled eggs, as well as hash browns Peter Hale made his way into the kitchen where Derek was pottering around. 

 

`You can’t leave him like that Peter,´ the Alpha said while carrying the large plate stacked with mouthwatering foods, `you know that right?´ 

 

`I do now.´ Peter answers, and he does, he really does he would probably never forget the state he’d found his son in when he’d returned to the house earlier that day.

 

`Good.´ Derek says while placing the plate down on the table, `Now eat.´ Needless to say Peter did as he was told and watched carefully as Derek finished scrambling eggs for Genim, unlike Peter’s they would lack a whole deal of spices and other delicious things, Peter had barely touched his food when Cora came walking into the kitchen reeking of sweat and dirt, and the moment her eyes landed on Peter and the plate of food he was most likely to consume she growled, `Your feeding him?´

 

`Yes.´ Derek answered without hesitation, keeping his eyes on the eggs in the pan, `and soon I’ll be feeding Genim as well. And possibly a few other mouths later in the day.´ Peter feels his heart swell a little at the idea that his nephew might actually care for him, it’s such a strange feeling; and he almost smiles at that but doesn’t because he knows these days when to be quiet not that he always does theright or wise thing. 

 

`He’s a piss poor excuse of a father Derek.´ Cora yelled, and her heart doesn’t skip a beat and Peter has suddenly lost his appetite completely, and he feels just a little bit sick, `Peter just left him Derek, he left him when Genim clearly wasn’t okay.You saw him Derek, he was shaking all over and crying and that asshole just left him.´Peter pushes the plate away from him, the smell of beacon and everything else that had been mouthwatering just a second ago had become something sickening and the few forkfuls he’d had was not settling well in his stomach.

 

Peter knew he’d screwed-up. Of course he knew he’d fucked-up yesterday. He’d left his son when he needed him to most, acting selfishly instead of the father he wanted to be. Peter hadn’t acted like the father he wanted to be. 

 

`Cora.´ Derek growled but she seemed deaf to their Alpha’s command and instead turned her attention fully on Peter and what came out of her mouth really made him doubt his ability as a father. And he’d tried to be a good father, the sort of a father Genim and Stiles deserved. Even his wolf hung its head because even it understood the sever mistake they had made when it came to their cub.

 

`You just left him. You just left him without even checking on him, who does that Peter? You left him without making sure he was alright.´ Cora kept throwing words which felt like one slap after another directed at his heart and not his face, and she did it while Derek growled at her.

 

`You’re a horrible-horrible father Peter.´ and then came the words that often haunted his thoughts when everything was too quiet and Genim wasn’t there to distract him with his softness and warmth, those words rang so very true and suddenly he couldn’t breathe, `You don’t deserve him Peter, you don’t deserve him.´ 

 

`I know.´ Peter whispers, but nothing seems to calm his niece who continues screaming at him regardless of how much their Alpha demanded her to be silent.

 

`You’re almost as bad as...´ but Cora doesn’t get the words out in a full sentence because suddenly there’s loud but small yell of very determined and stubborn, `NO.´The loud shout was accompanied by the sound of tiny feet hurrying across the tiled floor as well as angry little huffs and puffs.

 

`Daddy’s no bad. Daddy good.´ Peter hears the toddler says while watching the little boy being to kick Cora in the shins, the little face is an angry shade of red and scrunched up into a very disgruntled expression, there are tiny tears slipping down the round little cheeks. Cora stares down at the little boy with a shocked expression. 

 

Peter slides away from where he’d been seated because he needs to get to his little boy before Genim starts crying the way he’d done not too long ago.

 

`You meanie. You big meanie Cowa.´ Genim said with a seriousness and his little heart didn’t skip a beat, ` I no like you.´ Tears were starting to cascade down the reddened cheeks with an ever quickening pace by the time Peter reached his son, the light crying was quickly replaced with loud bawling and once the werewolf had his son up in his arms the little boy was in a desperate need of comforting. Muffled little words were rubbed into Peter’s shirt with all the snot and tears escaping from the little toddler, yet another one of Peter’s fine shirt was being ruined but the shirt could be damned because his little boy was upset and that wasn’t okay with Peter or his wolf.

 

Peter tried his best to calm Genim who between sobs would mumble something within the lines of “not bad daddy” and “Cowa mean”, and every time the little boy turned his head to glance at the person who was his cousin now the sobbing would increase with severity. 

 

`Gemin?´Cora tried, voice soft and sorrowful and yet another pitiful `I no like Cowa´ slipped from the little bow shaped mouth, but all her words seemed to do was cause the little boy to grow more distressed and so Peter walked away; heading back upstairs passing an uncomfortable looking Isaac Lahey. Peter continued to whisper softly to his little boy as he climbed the stairs and entered the room that smelled of him and his most precious possession, he laid down on the bed keeping his son close as he wrapped his body around the smaller body, running his hand over the soft hair and kissing away tears and the burning cheeks and warm forehead. This was not how he’d wanted the day to go. 

 

It didn’t take long before Genim drifted off into a restless sleep even with the little tummy growling loudly demanding nourishments for the little human. 

 

`Oh dear boy,´ Peter sighed his heart heavy because unlike Stiles Stilinski who’d been hardened slightly by years before Peter had come to know him,his son was fresh and innocent and so sensitive that it honestly didn’t take much to set off the flow of tears of course the werewolf didn’t hold any of it against the little life holding onto him while he slept; but it pained Peter and his wolf each time they was made witness their little boy crying and Genim did weep a great deal whether it was from being angry or sad, afraid or hurt, tired or confused. Peter hoped that with the passing of years and a lot of love and support that the crying would dwindle some if not completely,Stiles had been known to fight his tears when members of the pack were harmed or someone managed to penetrate the seemingly thick layer of sarcasm and pride that had made the brilliant youth appear stronger than what he truly was; and if Genim didn’t outgrow his crying then Peter would beat anyone who dared to call his boy a crybaby, Peter would defend his sensitive son with the ferocity of a crazed Alpha. 

 

Peter watched his little boy sleep away the distress he’d been made to suffer, and found the once burned-out husk of a heart swell with affection as he thought back to how fiercely his son had defended his honor as a parent.It had exceeded any of his expectations to find his little toddler stand against his niece with the foolish bravery and loyalty Stiles had possessed but never really directed at Peter in life. 

 

_ Our little one loves us, loves us. He knows we love him. Knows where he belongs,  _ the wolf rumbled with an air or satisfaction and awe, _ours he is. Ours to keep. Ours to raise. Ours and he knows it. Knows it._

 

_ I know,  _ Peter told the wolf beneath his skin while leaning down to nuzzle the little cheek which smelled of tears and snot, the salty taste accompanied by an unwanted bitterness made him grimace slightly as he planted a gentle kiss on the worrisomely hot cheek. 

 

_ Perfect little pup, ours and perfect, good little cub,  _ the wolf responded and Peter agreed once more because the child was theirs and Genim was perfect, a blessing.

 

Before the wicked bitch Kate Argent set his world ablaze Peter had spent many a day imagining what would be his perfect child which had quickly turned out to be a son for a daughter would be a dangerous pearl to keep safe in a word where misogyny and sexism were still very much alive and flourishing. Peter had imagined parenting a little boy with soft brown hair because he’d liked the color, he’d thought about raising a little boy with a mouth which was easily quirked up into a smile and that same smile could effortlessly be turned into a very manipulative pout. ****

 

As Peter stayed the on the bed that smelled like him and Genim, looking down at the little boy he’d been given without warning or preparation the werewolf suddenly realized that this little life was truly the perfect embodiment of the little dream child he’d fantasied about raising before fires consumed his sanity. It was a startling realization and Peter stopped breathing for a second or two. 

 

Genim was the little boy Peter had imagined when his childhood home settled for the night and all he had was silence, this little body curled against his chest one hand clutching his shirt while the other was growing moist with drool from where it was settled in the little mouth that gave Peter the best little kisses was everything Peter had dreamt about, and he had to nuzzle the soft hair and breathe in the wonderful scent of his son simply to assure himself that Genim truly was real and not some figment of his tortured mind. 

 

Peter isn’t sure for how long they’d been laying there on the bed, but suddenly there’s a knock on the door and he knows by the familiar heartbeat that it’s his niece, instinctively he curls around his son trying to hide as much of Genim as possible fearful of what Cora might do.As the door opens Peter growls in warning while rubbing the little back that goes a little bit rigid at the sound of the low growl, but trusting him as he does Genim quickly relaxes as Peter continues to comfort him with soft touches.

 

But as the door opens and a scent of regret slipped into the room and it had causes Peter to shift just enough to lay his eyes upon his niece who looks so much like the little girl who’d favored his company when tea-parties with her dolls were a daily affaire. 

 

`Uncle Peter?´ there was a time not too long ago when Peter would have used the guilt Cora was feeling and openly displaying against her, **** there had been a time when he would have found the way she sounded like a sad little girl bemusing and it would have made him cruel in more ways than one,but since his son came into his life that disgusting part of Peter had begun to die; that twisted darkness within the werewolf who’d mercilessly killed one of his nieces in a bid for power and strength was slowly dying, leaving behind someone who actually felt like he should wrap his arms around the young woman Cora had grown-up into and comfort her, to tell her he wasn’t angry.This new Peter which little Genim had summoned from within him the second Genim had reached for him so desperate and fearful while the wicked hag held him far too tightly, wasn’t angry with Cora like the old-Peter Hale would have been. All Peter could feel was sympathy towards the young female. 

 

`I – I-´ Cora stuttered slightly while sounding years younger than what she was, `I’m sorry Uncle Peter. I’m sorry.´ her heartbeat didn’t falter the slightest and so if there had been any doubts about the sincerity it was swept away with the steady thump-thumping of her strong heart, and so the older Hale moved to give her room on the bed gestured for Cora to join him and Genim which she did with her head lowered. Her movements were cautious in nature, and as she climbed up on their bed the dip in the matrass noticed by the little boy who instinctively curled in closer to his father with a little whine but settled easily as Peter shushed him. 

 

`I’m sorry uncle Peter.´ Cora said as she settled on the bed, allowing the two Hale’s to sandwich the toddler between them. 

 

`You’re not a bad father Peter.´ Cora whispered once she’d settled on the bed and once more her heartbeat is unchanging.Peter feels some of the tension that had sprung into his body depart making it that much easier for him to forgive his nieces and her cruel words.

 

`Thank you.´ is all Peter can muster without his voice giving away how much Cora’s words meant to him, instead of expressing the amount of gratitude he felt Peter snuck Cora’s hand into his own and gently began to rub his thumb against her knuckles. 

 

`You love him. I know that.´ Cora whispers over the little body between them, her eyes focused on the little form nestled against Peter. 

 

`And I know unlike the Sheriff you’d do anything to keep Genim happy.´ Cora’s starting to sound a lot like she might start crying and so Peter steps in because he really can’t deal with seeing his niece crying after having to deal with his Genim’s little breakdown, the quota for the day on the sadness and crying front was already full. 

 

`Thank you Cora.´ Peter repeats voice a little shaky, `and I do believe you are sorry.´

 

`I am. I am sorry.´ she says inching a little bit close even with Genim there between them, and Peter hears the truthfulness in her words and so he places a little kiss on her forehead and whispers against the smooth skin there, `I know Cora. And I do love you even when you throw a little fit.´ the last part he says with a teasing little whisper in his voice and a tiny smile on his lips, his niece responds with a snort and an eye-roll before closing her eyes and laying there trusting him to not hurt her, which would have been a foolish thing months ago because back then he was still the madman who’d lost his humanity in the fire that ruined his family and pack. 

 

Slowly Peter settles, listening to his niece slowly drift asleep and then listening to the peaceful and slow breathing of both Cora and Genim, and he feels content and so he too begins to slip into the world of dreams. And the last thing he hears before everything stops was his wolf repeating the words pack and family as well as the word safe and home.

 

****

 


	7. A card for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What a wicked thing the world had been to Peter live so long without his son, and what a glorious place it was for allowing him to have his son even after Peter had sworn to burn the world to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a person who doesn’t know cute even if it hit her in the face, I have no idea if this is cute or not. But yeah, I tried to make Genim cute and a good little boy after his stint at anger. Hopefully I managed that.  
> Oh sorry about the sulking Isaac bit but I just thought about him not really being a Hale and maybe feeling like he's not really all that important or part of the family at that moment and Genim fixing it.

 

 

Peter isn’t sure how long he’d been asleep, but he knew he’d been sleeping for a while because of the way his body feels far too relaxed to be the aftermath of a ten minute slumber, he’s warm and comfy and he can’t stop the happy little rumble that escapes him as the scent of his little boy reaches his sensitive nose mixed with the scent of family. Peter has no clue of how long they’d been asleep but he doesn’t care really because there’s no better place in the world for the werewolf to be in, this is the perfect dwelling for him and he could stay there for all eternity if need be.

 

There’s suddenly a little hand stroking his cheek and the shape and weight of that slightly damp hand tells him that it’s the hand of his little boy, and a smile pulls at his lips with the powerful sense of fondness that swells inside his heart.

 

 If it was any other kids slimy little hand touching Peter’s perfect skin well then he would have none of it, there would have been a lot growling and perhaps he would have slapped away that disgusting little hand.  However this slightly slimy hand is the precious hand of his only son and so he smiles, this is hardly the first time his son touches him with messy little hands and it will not be the last and Peter is perfectly fine with it.  

 

Unsealing his eyes seeing the little boy he’d never imagined he could actually have, a boy he expected to see grow into a young man with long limbs and pale skin spotted with dark little spots and a very sharp mind, his little boy was awake and gazing up at Peter cautiously his little hand stops moving coming to rest lightly against Peter’s cheek.He leans down to nuzzle his precious boy, planting a light kiss on the still a little bit too hot cheek and then the equally too warm forehead.

 

`How’s my little boy feeling? ´ Peter asked slightly worried that his son was coming down with something, thinking that he should perhaps call Melissa considering she was a nurse after all, but maybe he should first take his baby’s temperature before going all panicky father and call a woman who had enough to deal with in her own life than having him call her for what could turn out to be nothing at all.

 

There’s a deepening frown followed by Genim finally speaking, voice carrying an unhappiness Peter did not like.

 

`I no like Cowa. No like he, no mo’. ´

 

The mention of Cora reminds Peter what had happened earlier that day and he had no trouble recalling that Cora had been in his and Genim’s bed when they’d fallen asleep, but she’s no longer there.

 

`Oh baby boy, Cora isn’t really mean.´ his son looks suddenly almost disgruntled by what Peter said and it is a rather a ridiculous look on such young face, and so Peter continues to tell his son how Cora was sorry for what she’d said and slowly the anger in his son fades and Genim looks far more sad than anything else and that will not do so the werewolf lunges at his son and starts to blow raspberries against the soft little belly and oh the deliciously joyous sounds his son creates has his wolf preening.  Once Genim is a giggling and gasping mess, Peter pulls away and just cuddles his son a little who slowly calms down enough to say, `I say sowwie to Cowa daddy.´ It is not a question but a statement and if Peter wasn’t already a very proud father, he was sure as hell now because his little boy was so good at heart.

 

`Can I daddy?´  Genim asked gazing up into Peter’s eyes after a moment of silence had passed between them, and Peter might hold his son just a little bit closer.

 

`Of course you can.´ Peter hums against the top of his son head smiling happily because his son was such a good boy, such a perfect little boy.

 

`Can I go now? ´ and Peter chuckles a little but nods none the less and releases his precious boy who plants a kiss on Peter’s cheek before crawling towards the edge of the bed, making little huffing sounds as he moves over the soft terrain of blankets and pillows and by God Peter wishes he had his phone so he could document it for prosperity to show them what an adorable child should be like.But that thought of posting the imaginary documentary of _The World’s Most Adorable Toddle_ on YouTube vanishes the moment he realizes his son is about to tumble down the edge of the bed, with the wolf at the forefront the werewolf throws himself towards the little boy pulling him close to his chest just in time because Genim was about to fall head first to the floor.

 

Peter’s heart is racing, panicked, and everything in him demands the werewolf to check the little boy over, to make sure and see that the toddler was alright even though Genim didn’t even make half-way with the possibly nasty fall.

 

`Th-thank you daddy.´ Genim says voice all shaky and close to tears, sounding like he’d had a proper fright much like Peter had and his wolf had.

 

Both the beast and the man are frightfully aware of how fragile human life could be, painfully aware of how fragile the little boy they had been given to protect and love was, and if that knowledge drives them to hold the little life just a bit closer and has them breathing in the fine scent of the little boy with a desperation of someone who’d lost too much for one lifetime then so be it.

 

Genim settles against the firm body that would take any bodily harm if it meant the he stayed safe and whole, and the little boy accepts the way he’s held even if it is done a bit longer than necessary but the little boy doesn’t fuss or struggle against the hold that keeps him trapped against the body that is slowly slipping back to something more human; and Genim waits patiently, petting the strong arm wrapped around his front, little hands gently moving over the arm that loses some of the furriness with each pet and soft words of, `I safe daddy. I safe.´ and those little words are the balm to ease the fear and panic inside the werewolf who will always be steady in his resolve to protect the little boy in its arms.

 

They sit there for several minutes before Peter stands with Genim perched against his hip, placing a kiss on the slightly warm forehead, and with a content little sigh his son rests against him trusting a man who had once been nothing but a monster to care and keep him safe. Peter had never imagined he would be trusted ever again so entirely by another living breathing being after all the bloody deeds he’d done without thinking of the hurt and pain that would or could follow.

 

Genim was his resolution to be better man without delusions. Genim was his guarantee to stay away from the darkness that tugged at his mind at times, his son was the blessed chain that held him back from betraying their Alpha. The little boy had turned him around and rebuilt him into a man Peter Hale had never thought he could become again, and Peter adored Genim for it.

 

`You no think Cowa mad at me?´ Genim asks cautiously as they move down the stairs, and Peter is prepared for this question because the scent of his son had change slightly and he knew his son well enough to know that the situation between them and Cora might become an issue at some point.

 

`She’s not mad at you baby. She’s not mad at anyone anymore.´ Peter answers kissing his son on the temple, and Genim seemed to accept his words and relaxed back against him once more and the wolf within him preen at the knowledge that the little boy had no trouble trusting his judgment or word.

 

They’re downstairs by the time Peter realizes that Cora isn’t home, or at least not in the house. And he’s a bit worried how Genim will take the news and so he thinks quickly before coming up with a possible way of saving his son from bursting out in tears, but he is nothing if not creative and slightly manipulative.

 

`Gem.´ Peter begins while noticing how his son is looking around trying to see where Cora’s hiding, `Cora’s not home, ´ and oh yes that startles his little boy, `But we could make her a little card or a pretty drawing to give to her when she comes home, ´ the pouty lower lips stops trembling, `I’m sure she’d love to get a little card or colorful drawing with your apology.´

 

**~*~**

 

Peter is aware as he sits there on the floor with Genim on his lap that the shirt which had honestly been too expensive to be worn while crafting with his toddler was ruined,and yet the fact that the item of clothing was unsalvageable with the hole his son had created while trying to figure out the strange mechanics and functions of scissors even after Peter had told him not to touch them;of course it wasn’t entirely Genim’s fault and Peter had made sure his son understood this for  if Peter had been paying more attention to his son instead of marveling over Derek’s plans to open up a bakery in town.

 

The shirt was ruined, completely and utterly ruined by disgustingly bright colors and glitter and the minor accident with the scissors, he’s not displeased with his little boy the slightest of course if this destruction had been done by any other child than his own well then his understanding and complete disregard for the state of his shirt would have been none existing.

 

Peter kisses the top of his sons head while watching his son put on the finishing touches to the card they’d been working on for nearly half-an-hour, the tiny bit of affection had the little boy leaning against his front sighing contently while placing the final touches to the card; the colorful butterfly sticker joined the five butterflies already glued to the card.

 

`Pretty?´ Genim asked while holding the card up so that Peter could get a better look at it, and while Peter admires the card a little sticky hand keeps petting his jaw and neck.The card was atrocious but his son was so very proud of his little creation, and that pleased state of his son makes it easy to tell the little boy that the card was perfect, and due to his wolfs lack in any taste what-so-ever the beast beneath Peter’s skin beamed with an unreasonable amount of parental pride.

 

`Time for lunch.´ Derek announced all smiles from where he’s standing in the doorway between the living room and the dining room.From just the way his nephew is standing, the way he’s leaning against the archway arms crossed posture relaxed Peter knows that the Alpha has been standing there watching him and Genim in what could only be described as silent bemusement for more than just a minute or two. There’s a pleasing softness to Derek’s features these days and Peter is certain it has something to do with Genim.

 

Genim turns his own attention towards the Alpha, eyes wide and surprised.

 

`Food? ´ Genim asks a hopeful look appearing on his face which seems to be enough to cause the Alpha to chuckle.

 

`Yes, food.´ Derek’s response has the little boy starts to wiggle his way out of Peter’s hold while still holding the card in his tiny hand, but Genim pauses the moment the Alpha continues to speak.

 

`But first you two glitter-monster’s should go wash-up, unless you want glitter in your lunch.´ Derek’s words caused Peter to really look down at his son who indeed looks like a cute-little-glitter-monster, and without a second thought he grabbed his iPhone which was also not too surprisingly covered in glitter and for some reason there was also a sticker of a butterfly on it. Peter took one picture of both of himself and his son before taking a few more pictures of only Genim.

 

With eight pictures of his son on his phone Peter heads upstairs carrying his perfect little gem.

 

Genim is hungry, Peter knows it from the way the little belly growls and still his little boy doesn’t fuss or protest as Peter carries him further away from the delicious scent that has filled the house, instead the little boy keeps babbling nonsense about the card; a card Genim holds in his hands like it’s the holy grail.

 

The reflection in the mirror confirmed what Peter had feared, he too was a sparkling mess there was glitter in his hair as well as on his face, little colorful handprints was yet another prof of how much Genim is into touching and petting those he holds near and dear.  Seeing himself in such a colorful and sparkling way made Peter Hale understand why his nephew had been all smiles and laughter, Peter hardly looked like the deranged monster he’d once been. And if Peter has to be perfectly honest the sight amuses him as much as it had done his Alpha, he’s unable to halt the laughter that bubbles up from within his chest; Genim had truly softened him up.

 

`Daddy looks silly, doesn’t he? ´ Peter laughs as he carefully places his son on the bathroom counter.

 

`No silly.´ Genim informs him with a very serious look on his pretty little face, `Daddy pwetty.´

 

There’s a seriousness there that earns the little boy a gentle kiss on the top of his head from his father.

 

Peter removes his own shirt, and bins it immediately instead of throwing it in the hamper.

 

`Bath time?´ Genim asks all hopeful and eyes on the tub while Peter starts to undress him from the onesie that truly is an eyesore when not worn by the adorable toddler, Peter has no doubt that he will find some of the glitter that continues to fall off of him and Genim the same time next year. ****But Peter knows he’d rather find remnants of glitter eight years from now than not having the little boy seated on the bathroom counter, he’d rather have all the ugly colorful rubber ducks and sharks as well as the dolphins around than spend a day without his little boy; he’ll deal with the eyesore’s that are the colorful hooded towels with silly looking animal years and eyes on them for his son. ****

 

`No baby, no bath time.´ Peter says as he picks up the little brush and begins to brush as much glitter from the soft brown hair as possible and Genim allows him to do it without an unhappy huff or any restless movements.

 

_Look what a good little cub, look how good he is,_ the wolf as good as purred, and Peter had to agree with the statement because Genim was indeed a very good little boy.

 

`Latel? ´ the little boy asks eyeing the bathtub hopefully, and Peter nods which earns him a happy smile from his son.

 

With Genim’s hair free from glitter Peter moves to grab the nearest washcloth, soaking it for a minute in warm water while listening to the little boy babble on about glitter and pretty things he’d put on the card for Cora. Hearing how much thought his son had put into making the card made his heart swell with pride.

 

`Cowa like it? ´ Genim asked as Peter began cleaning the adorable little face and as Peter does it he finds himself completely and utterly amazed by how well behaved his little son was throughout the cleaning process;Peter’s own nieces and nephews hadn’t been this well behaved not even when their Alpha had tried cleaning the mock off of their faces after a run around in the woods, Genim however sat there perfectly still doing his best to protect the card and help.

 

_Perfect little pup, so good, so helpful,_ the wolf beneath Peter’s sang happily praising the child they’d been given, _our perfect pup._

 

`Oh she’ll love it.´ Peter reassures his son while rubbing gentle at the rosy cheeks with the washcloth, and his words are enough to cause Genim to smile a little bit brighter.Genim remains perfectly calm and tantrum free while Peter cleans his little hands and arms.

 

`All done.´ Peter says as once the amber eyed little boy was glitter and glue free, there wasn’t a hint of finger paint left on his darling boy and it made Peter and his wolf feel mighty proud of their cleaning skills, the ivory skinned child with the little droplets of ebony was once more his beautiful self.

 

_So pretty and clean,_ the wolf yipped happily.

 

`I clean daddy now? ´ The little boy asks while reaching out for the washcloth that’s clean and pristine, there’s a cautious hopefulness there that Peter struggles to snuff out.

 

The werewolf knows that if he allows the little boy to try and clean him he would be leaving the bathroom with a lot of glitter and stains on his person than if he did it himself, and the job would be done faster too if Peter just did it himself, but seeing his son sitting there with the washcloth in his tiny raised hands all eager and willing to help him what could Peter honestly do?

 

Say no? No, that wouldn’t do. Peter couldn’t deny his son the chance to be helpful even if it was being unhelpful. He couldn’t deny his son this especially if it gave Genim a sense of usefulness; for Peter could still remember the sting he’d felt at a young age every time his own parents or siblings or aunts and uncles brushed him off when he’d eagerly offered them his assistance, Peter didn’t want to brand his son’s already delicate soul with rejection. Peter had also yet to forget each look of dejection that had washed across the beautiful features of Stiles Stilinski when the pack denied his offer of aide or support.

 

No, Peter could not hurt his baby boy.  He wouldn’t hurt his child any more than he’d already done.

 

`Yes, please.´ Peter said while lowering himself down to a level which would give Genim enough of a reach to try and clean him. The precious smile that erupts on Genim’s face was forth the twinges of aches that came with being hunched down for several agonizing minutes.

 

It takes unnecessarily long for even half of the glitter and the colors to be removed off of his person, but when it’s done Peter gives his son the thank you he deserves, before picking his son up and heading back into their bedroom.

 

Peter places the little boy on the bed handing Genim one of his books so that the little boy was preoccupied for the time it took for Peter to get changed into a clean shirt before grabbing Genim a fresh and clean onesie, Peter had learned not too long ago how important it was to keep Genim’s mind from wandering into exploration while he did something that took his attention away from his curious boy.

 

`Food now? ´ Genim asks while Peter begins to dress the little boy, the question isn’t a demand just a soft little question made by a little boy who was hungry. And Peter is more than happy to grant Genim this little wish as soon as Genim’s fragile and sensitive body was covered up in soft baby-blue fabric.

 

`Soon, darling boy.´ Peter says while kissing one of the little hands before slipping it through one of the tiny sleeves.

 

`I hungly daddy.´ his son said softly almost apologetically and Peter was quick to slip the other hand into the remaining sleeve, and kissing the hand as it slipped through the sleeve.

 

`I know. And I’m sorry baby, but I need to get you dressed first.´ Peter explains while finishing getting his son dressed and ready for lunch, and his son behaves like the good little boy Peter knew him to be.

 

Once Genim was dressed in his onesie Peter scooped the little boy up into his arms and beamed down at the child he’d kill for in a heartbeat, `And now my little munchkin, it’s time for food.´

 

`Food! ´ Genim shrieked joyously and clapping his hands happily.

 

`Yes. Food.´ Peter laughed kissing the smooth forehead of his son, and he enjoys the happy little noises his son does as they descend the stairs.

 

They’re at the bottom of the stairs when the front door opens and in comes Cora and Isaac both of them laughing, and Genim reaches out towards the she-wolf and cries out almost desperately, `COWA I SOWWIE! I SOOWIE! ´

 

Genim’s sudden outburst halts Cora in her tracks and she looks over at the toddle who’s desperately reaching out for her while still clutching to the card he’d made for her.

 

`I no hate you Cowa. I no hate you.´ the little heart does not skip a beat, it is sure in its steady thumping, `Love Cowa. I do. I do love Cowa.´

 

`Oh Bit.´ is all Cora says before gathering the now tearful child into her own arms, and while she kissed the stray tears away she hushed the little boy with a gentleness she restrained herself from showing anyone else.

 

`No need to cry Bit.´ Peter heard Cora tell his son who was far too sensitive for his own good, `I know you’re sorry, and I’m sorry too.´ Genim leaned back just enough so that he got a better look at Cora and the surprised looking on his sons face was priceless, Peter knew if he wasn’t so invested in giving Genim the best and most happiest of childhoods the he might have pushed his little boy into show business.

 

`Why you sowwie? ´ the little boy asked cautiously.

 

`Well, I’m sorry for being mean to your daddy.´ Cora answered glancing over at Peter who admittedly felt a surge of affection towards his niece.

 

`Oh.´ was all Genim said face scrunched a little as it was followed by deep thought.

 

`Come on people, there’s lunch to behaved.´ Isaac said pushing past the gathering of Hale’s, the words seemed to snap Genim from his thoughts and he placed his tiny hand against Cora’s cheek before speaking rather seriously to her.

 

`I fogive. But no mo’ mean to daddy? ´

 

`I’ll try.´ Cora was wise not to promise something she might not be able to keep and Peter appreciated Cora’s lack of commitment to something she honestly couldn’t promise whole heartedly.

 

And yet the lack of a promised did not seem to bother Genim who just smiled at her brightly while petting her cheek, but speaking none the less very seriously, `Good Cowa. Cowa no mean to daddy. An I no mean to Cowa.´

 

`Agreed.´ Cora laughed softly before kissing both of Genim’s little cheeks, which had the little boy giggling happily and responding in kind.

 

`I love Cowa.´ Genim sighed happily while resting his head against her shoulder before perking up and sitting up once more, `OH! I made cald fo’ you.´ And Genim raised the card right up to Cora’s eyes as if fearful she might not see it.

 

`For me?´ Cora asked while taking the proudly offered card, getting glitter all over her hand and arm, and Peter had never been as grateful for the fact that Cora was a werewolf for there she stood so easily holding Genim in one arm while examining the messy little card the child had made for her.

 

`You made this? For me? ´

 

Genim nodded vigorously, pointing at the card.

 

`But daddy wlite because I no know how, _yet_.´  the way Genim put a serious emphasis on the word yet had Peter laughing because now he knew that his son truly possessed the wonderful mind and brightness of Stiles Stilinski. Peter couldn’t be more proud of Genim at that moment even if the boy started reciting Shakespeare.

 

`Oh, Genim I love it.´ Cora said although Peter could tell she wasn’t all that crazy about the glitter, but she loved Genim enough to lie to him in order to spare his feelings.

 

Genim beams with pride and joy and plants a kiss on Cora’s cheek before continuing to tell her all about the card and its creation.

 

Peter notices the way Isaac seems a bit withdrawn, sulky even as he walks into the kitchen following Cora who continues to listen to the little boys babbling while showing the young Beta the sticker covered card. Peter has to wonder what had suddenly sullied the mood of the young male and as they take a seat at the kitchen table Genim seems to notice the change in Isaac’s humor and being the wonderful child he is reaches out to touch Isaac’s cheek and pets it softly, `I plomise I make you a cawd too, so no sad face I love you too.´ and Isaac blushes bright red before taking the little hand touching his cheek and kissing it gently.

 

`Will you make it as pretty as Cora’s?´ Isaac asks and Genim nods very seriously.

 

`I put a lots love in it, okay?´ Genim says before opening his mouth and accepting the spoon of vegetable soup Derek had made just for him, and his little question causes Cora to breathe out, `Oh my God can you be any more adorable if you tried?´ which causes Genim to turn his to look up at her with a confused expression, while Isaac just plants a kiss on the top of the toddlers head, Derek just looks like Genim had suddenly ruined the last of his defenses while Peter beamed with love and pride.

 

_How is he so perfect?_ the wolf asked in awe and Peter had not answer for it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I just realized poor Peter has to deal with a lot more glitter XD I'm so sorry Peter.


	8. Behaving Badly? I don’t think so.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genim Hale had plenty of chances to throw tantrums, to express his displeasure with loud screams of No but it seemed even when everyone expected him to behave like an unhappy toddler he did not and that made her his father mighty proud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m afraid this is all very redundant. And this might be stupidly long too. A bit of Isaac’s plans on the future and him taking care of Genim but only a little and Genim just being himself. Nothing special really.

 

Genim Hale finished his lunch with the fine mannerisms he often displayed, mannerism which always caused Peter to feel like having every parent in the world to witness it simply so they could see what a superior child his son was. Genim finished his soup with his usual happy little babbling and applauds when a spoonful of soup was brought into his mouth, eyes all smiles and content little sounds escaping him every now and again, mouth open and eager to taste and feed; sure some people might think the applauding and babbling to be poor manners but if it pleased the cook then who were they to judge. 

 

Once his little bowl of soup was empty and his tummy held no more room for the cucumbers Isaac kept slipping to him, the little boy thanked the Alpha for the food he’d made him and stayed still as Isaac removed his little bib and cleaned the little remnants of soup from around the little mouth without fussing the slightest simply accepting what had to be done.

 

Peter beamed at his little boy who settled in Cora’s lap all nice and still with his sippy-cup in hand while Cora continued to consume her own lunch occasionally kissing the top of his head while he twirled her long hair between his little chubby fingers a content look on his little face.It didn’t take long for the little eyes to begin to drop or for the Cars plastic cup to slip from the weakening hold of a sleeping toddler but before it could fall Isaac catches it and brings it up on the table before removing the child from Cora’s hold so she could finish her meal easier.

 

The older Hale watched as Isaac carefully cradled the little body in his arms, kissing those little hands that were always so eager and willing to touch and explore,the gentleness and love Isaac displays so easily when it comes to Genim and it pleases both Peter and his wolf;of course both man and beast knew that Isaac’s decision to go into pediatrics instead of any other branch of medicine and healing he’d been thinking about before Genim’s arrival was due to the little boy that was full of love.

 

Genim stays content in the younger wolfs arms, snuggling closer before letting out a pleased little sigh and settling down into a deeper sleep. The way Isaac looks at his son with soft eyes makes it’s easier for Peter and his wolf to suggest that the younger wolf could take the sleeping toddler upstairs for his nap, at first Isaac looked slightly shocked by the idea that he could do such a thing alone without supervision but then a bright beaming smile erupts on his face and Isaac looks absolutely giddy with the idea and Peter swears that if Isaac had a tail it would be wagging like crazy. 

 

`Go on.´ Peter says with a light smile while taking another piece of the delicious bread his nephew had baked, bread which continued to support the idea that Derek would indeed make their family proud. Isaac gets a determined look on his face, and Peter knows he can trust Isaac to get Genim safely tucked into bed. 

 

`Wait.´ Cora says through a mouthful of food before washing it all down with the last of her ice tea while getting up and out of her chair causing the chair to scrape against the floor loudly enough to disturb the peaceful slumber of little Genim Hale who makes a very disgruntled noise and frowns heavily before hiding his face against Isaac’s rumbling chest whimpering and whining as he seeks shelter and comfort, and Isaac was quick to sooth the little boy placed in his care for the moment; but although he was calming Genim down until he stopped fussing Isaac spared a glare towards Cora who’d immediately begun to apologize when Genim voiced his unhappiness. 

 

Peter’s wolf was ready leap to the forefront and take charge the moment its little one made the displeased little sound but Peter pulled the wolf back, demanding it to wait and see how Isaac handled the situation and the young wolf did it well enough to calm the wolf beneath Peter’s skin down.

 

`Sorry. I’m sorry.´ Cora says quickly voice soft and slightly hushed as she reaches over to gently pet the soft brown hair that covers Genim’s clever little head, and her apology seems to be just enough for Isaac to allow her to follow him and Genim out of the kitchen and upstairs. 

 

`You know you just made Isaac’s day, right.´ Derek says once both Cora and Isaac are out of earshot, and Peter does indeed knows that these little signs of trust meant a lot to the werewolf that still at times seems to doubt his place in little Genim’s life.

 

`I know.´ Peter answers while finishing his own meal before beginning to clear the dishes.Peter does know how it feels not to know where one stands within a pack because it wasn’t too long ago when he wasn’t sure of his spot within this fresh-and-new Hale pack,when he became a father he’d lost his footing when it came to his part in Derek’s pack before Genim there hadn’t really been a part for him in his nephews pack he’d been bound to it by his blood-relation to the Alpha nothing more; and although he was bound to the pack somewhat his nephew had rejected his advice and wisdom as well as any support he’d been willing to give, leaving Peter to walk around in the shadows of all the other members of the pack waiting to betray his nephew once the perfect moment was able to arise.

 

_ Those were the years, _ Peter thought with an air of deep self-loathing for now he found no pride or amusement in the idea of attacking his pack from within, the old-Peter the shameful one would have taken the chance to poison the young Alpha during a shared meal and reclaim the Alpha-power regardless of casualties; but that horrible vile version of him was as good as dead, that version of Peter Hale died on the day it became clear they would never find Stiles Stilinski and while also finding his son with little hands reaching out to mend his charred heart. 

 

Peter missed the talkative and sarcastic clever young man who’d kept him entertained without blood being spilled, Stiles had kept him on his guard and he regretted never trying to get to know the young man known as Stiles Stilinski, Peter felt bad about not telling him how astonishingly brilliant Stiles was; Peter regretted above all else not believing Stiles when he brought up his suspicions about witches about being followed and watched. Peter would however _never_ regret becoming and father and although he would be happy if Stiles came back, he would never survive if the return meant losing his son.

 

His selfish want to keep Genim would always outweigh his want for Stiles’ return Peter would sacrifice the young man without a second thought for the sake of his son and he felt sick by that very thought for Genim was Stiles as much as Stiles had been Stiles; and yet Peter does not want to lose that which he had been given, he didn’t want to give-up his son ever again he’d done it once too many times already. 

 

Without Genim even if Stiles were to return Peter knew he would go absolutely feral with the sense of loss that would follow.

 

Life without Stiles was bearable but life without Genim would be unbearable. 

 

Even just the thought of losing Genim in anyway shape or form had his wolf pacing around anxiously, clawing at his skin and bones demanding to be released, begging to be set free so it could protect their cub although all it would need to protect their cub from was Peter’s bleak thoughts. 

 

` Peter?´ Derek’s voice was laced with worry and Peter struggled to regain some control, his wolf was whimpering and whining beneath his skin with worry brought on by the mere thought that they could lose their little one.

 

`What’s wrong? ´ 

 

Peter shakes his head trying to dislodge the unpleasant thoughts inside his head, `Nothing, I’m fine.´

 

The Alpha huffs from where he’s seated, `No you’re not.´ Peter is starting to hate this more observant version of his nephew and Alpha. 

 

`Useless thoughts, nothing more.´ Peter answers all truthfully and without play, and it seems to satisfy his nephew somewhat who rises from his own seat to help him clear the table and wash the dishes. They work well together, familiar with the kitchen and each other. By the time the table is cleared and the dishes are washed Derek had begun to tell his uncle about his plans once more but in more detail or perhaps Peter simply heard more now as he no longer had to focus on his son, and as they talk about the details over a cup of coffee the last threads of Peter’s anxiousness slip and time passes without much worry. 

 

By the time they’d finished talking about all the dreams Derek had for his bakery and café as well as going through all the paperwork that had been accumulated during Derek’s quest to make his dream come true,it was already time for Genim to wake-up from his nap and so Peter moved carefully upstairs leaving Derek to plan the pack dinner and fixing a little snack for a possibly very hungry little Gemin; although born human there were certain things about his son that weren’t all that human, and certain things about Genim were well-advanced compared to children in his age but all of those differences simply made Peter even more proud of his little bundle of joy.

 

There was a part of the werewolf that was pleased to be of some use to the Alpha and there was simply something wonderful about hearing Derek speak which such nervous excitement and passion about this new adventure the young Alpha was taking,Peter had loved listening to his nephew speak about how his longtime dream was slowlymorphing from just a silent dream into reality but Peter did however regret missing nap-time with his son or at least putting his son down for his nap;Peter didn’t partake in the nap-time by sleeping instead he’d just tuck his baby boy down for a nap and if there was nothing else to do such as catching up on laundry or diving deep into his work he’d indulge himself with a good book while combing his fingers through the feather soft hair of his child and it was those silent moments when he felt perfectly at ease with this new and much improved version of himself. 

 

Although Peter had not been there to lay his son down for a nap he was determined to be there when Genim opened his eyes, the little light of his life had been upset enough for the following week or two and Peter would not risk his son having another fit of tears simply because he’d been too lazy to be there for his son. 

 

Approaching their bedroom each steps cautious and silent the werewolf began to realize that Isaac and Cora had stayed with his son which was indeed a pleasant surprise, and from the easy slow beats of all three hearts that resided within the bedchamber Peter continued to share with his little boy the oldest Hale knew that all three souls were sleeping peacefully; there might have been a time in the past before little hands squeezed the darkness out of his soul that even the idea of someone other than himself lay in his bed would’ve set him off into acts of cruelty, but as it were he was no longer that burned-out –husk-of –a-deranged-werewolf but a father who was pleased to learn that his little cub wasn’t left alone and unsupervised.

 

Peter approached the bedroom with cautious steps, his and Genim’s scent still overpowering that of the two younger wolves which were occupying their space. He was pleased to find that Isaac or Cora had left the bedroom door ajar which was a sign of their vigilance when it came to Peter’s own practice when it came to Genim’s naps and nightly rests when he was unable to stay with his little pup.Peering in through the crack Peter found himself further pleased by the actions of both Cora and Isaac for not only had they not abandoned the little toddler to sleep alone but they were curled around him like protective barriers thus keep the fragile life from slipping off of the bed, from where he stood he could see how Isaac held on of his hopefully soon healing hands on the little chest of the sleeping toddler while one of Cora’s hands were resting on top the little head as if she’d fallen asleep stroking Genim’s soft hair. 

 

As he stood there for a brief passing Peter began to wonder and not for the first time about the closeness between his niece and the young werewolf who’d barely escaped his abusive father with his own life intact, it was becoming more and more evident that the two spent a lot of time together studying and running as well as talking and laughing, and if Peter was frankly honest he was not against the idea of Isaac Lahey marrying into the family as long as he willingly took their family name; Peter had no doubts about that the two would make a fiercely protective partners in life, the two already worked well together during training. Of course Peter’s opinion didn’t matter, if their Alpha deemed the relationship doomed then it was so, but Peter was certain Derek wouldn’t mind the slightest having Isaac as a brother-in-law. 

 

Approaching the bed cautiously Peter whispered the names of the two wolves, his voice soft and gentle so not to startle either one for it would not do to startle two werewolves wrapped around his son. It doesn’t surprise him the slightest to find Isaac as the first to wake for the male was always just a little bit on the guard even in his sleep, and if Peter found the way Isaac instinctively moved to shelter Genim before awaking as another reason for him to like the werewolf then who was to know. Once Isaac stirred awake so did Cora turning her eyes which were still somewhat heavy with sleep towards Genim who continued to sleep soundly between her and Isaac. 

 

`Sleep well? ´ Peter asked his voice still barely a whisper.

 

Cora gave a languid nod while stretching like a pleased little cat awaking from a pleasant nap while Isaac carefully slipped out of bed hair all ruffled doing his best not to appear to off balance as he tried to untangle his feet from the blanket that had perhaps at some point covered the three bodies on the bed it was all rather adorable. Isaac was clearly uncomfortable with being caught sleeping in Peter’s bed or perhaps it was getting caught almost alone in bed with Cora that worried the young male, whatever the reason was Peter chose to ignore the desire within him to increase the anxiousness or to make fun of it for Isaac didn’t deserve such treatment after looking out for Genim.

 

`Thank you for staying with him.´ Peter said while taking a seat on the bed where Cora’s feet had but a second ago been splayed out on but which were now firmly on the bed while she sat on the edge of the bed combing her fingers through her hair.

 

`It’s nothing, really.´ Isaac replied bowing his head just a little while smiling like a little boy who was praised unexpectedly, a light blush decorating his cheeks while his restless hands combed his hair back down into a less tragic fashion.

 

`Coffee, I need it.´ Cora said as she rose from the bed taking support from her uncles shoulder, `I’ll leave you to take care of little Bit. Come on Isaac, let’s leave Peter to deal with the baby of the pack.´ there was no malice behind her words and so there was no need for Peter to snarls or rip her throat out with his teeth, if anything her words made him smile a little because his son was indeed for the time being the baby of their pack, and what a wonderful baby Genim was with his gentle heart and soft touches. 

 

Isaac gave a short nod before hurrying after Cora who called out to her brother to put on a pot of coffee, but before the younger male walked out the door he paused for a moment looking a bit like he was about to confess he’d been the one to dig-up one of the flowerbeds in the front yard, `I put a diaper on him, I didn’t know if he wears one when he sleeps or not.´ Isaac’s confession was laced with worry, a worry that was entirely unfounded and Peter made it known easily enough. 

 

`Good. He may be dry for the most part of the day but when he sleeps accidents do tend to happen.´ and sure enough his words were enough to ease the tension in Isaac’s shoulders the younger werewolf walked away without another word while visibly feeling a little bit smug with himself, and before the two werewolves that had reached the stairs Peter heard Isaac tell Cora he’d been right to put on a diaper on Genim to which Cora only responded with _whatever._

 

_ Still nothing more than pups themselves,  _ the wolf thought while reaching out towards the sleeping form of his only child, and the idea that Genim would remain as his only child didn’t cause the werewolf to feel the slightest bit like he’d lost something, the prospect of never having more than one child to care for didn’t bother the wolf or the man for they could easily live without having a bunch of kids as long as he had the toddler sleeping on their bed. 

 

_ No need for more, no need for silly little cubs when we have ours,  _ the wolf agreed beneath Peter’s skin as they gazed down at the sleeping form of one Genim Hale, _no other could be as perfect, as good, as our pup._

 

_ Genim would outshine any other child we could have,  _ Peter thought and the wolf agreed entirely with him. 

 

Peter leaned down to kiss the soft round cheeks that were no longer as warm as before moving to kiss the creaseless forehead that had blessedly lost the warmth that had Peter feeling concerned for the well-being of his son, his little cuddle monster sighed in his sleep at the contact but still sleep clung to the little body well and it would’ve frustrated the sick and twisted version of his old –self but this improved version of Peter Hale simply loved his son more for his adorable ways and stubborn nature. With the hands that could’ve crushed the delicate bones beneath the young and fragile flesh Peter began to gently rub the soft belly of his sleeping son as well as playing with the little feet that were as delightful to him as the rest of his son was, if those feet had been uncovered he would’ve kissed them knowing how much it would tickled.

 

Peter took his time with drawing his son out of the world of dreams he was in no hurry to force the little boy awake knowing how unhappy Genim would be if he was forced to snap wide awake in a heartbeat the slower the process was the happier his son seemed to be; slowly as Peter rubbed his nose against the smaller one perched on the one face Peter found both beautiful and adorable the little life for whom he’d give-up everything for gave a huff of defeat while the tiny hands that seemed always so eager to touch those around him reached up to rub the sleep from the most beautiful brown eyes Peter had ever seen; and Peter had seen a his share ofbrown eyes and always thought them to be an unfortunate color, he’d never been able to describe the color as anything but misfortunate it was always an unfortunate color in his eyes at least it had been until he’d come across one Stiles Stilinski, and these days he could’ve written a sonnet about how wonderful the color of Genim’s eyes were. 

 

As those eyes which he could never say were a displeasing color peered up at him all bright and pleased to see him Peter knew that this little boy was his most glorious possession and he’d move heaven and earth to keep him safe and happy. The hand that had been resting on the belly he could’ve so easily ripped wide open moved to pet the side of the one person that had banished the darkness in his soul somewhere faraway, Peter wasn’t delusional enough to think it was completely gone for evil like that could never truly be destroyed and he wouldn’t want it to be lost for all eternity incase some threat ever came to call on his son; he would destroythe world for his son if need be, he would bathe the world in blood if anyone else tried to take or did take the precious life he cradled in his heart. 

 

`Daddy.´ Genim said softly wearing a little smile while his little hands reached up towards Peter’s face coming to rest on Peter’s cheeks before gently petting him, little eyes scanning his features without an air of suspicion but as if to make sure Peter was in deed there in person the look however didn’t last long before the little boy gave him that look that always came just before the toddler asked for something.

 

`Daddy. Hug? ´ the little demand was easily and happily taken care of, Peter scooped his son up into his arms and sat up so he could just hug his son who settled against his chest like he belonged right there and there they stayed for a minute just hugging while Genim slowly began to wake, Peter scenting his son while Genim did the same without knowing it by rubbing his face against Peter’s neck and shoulder. 

 

** ~*~ **

 

Genim Hale kept his promise to Isaac as soon as it was physically possible, after finishing his snack of course which Peter made sure he finished even though it was very clear that the toddler wanted nothing more than to start on Isaac’s card already, but like the good little boy he was Genim finished his snack without throwing the tantrum some would expect to have been thrown. ****

 

Due to the fact that the card was for Isaac and it was supposed to be a surprise the young werewolf was sent to the study where he could finish some of his homework while Cora took over helping the toddler make the card which also allowed Peter and Derek to prepare the pack-dinner, Cora might’ve groaned over her babysitting duty but everyone knew she loved it really. 

 

Isaac’s card was a periwinkle-blue one with flower stickers as well as Genim’s own handprint made in yellow which of course turned out a greenish color against the blue card which of course didn’t please the little boy because it wasn’t a pretty yellow or a pretty green color, and so to remedy the horrible mistake a lot of glitter was used to make it prettier; or horrible as Cora saw it but she knew better than to voice such opinions in front of the little boy who seemed very pleased with himself. **** Because Genim couldn’t write a single letter yet it was up to Cora to write the words Genim wanted the card to say, words he took a great deal of time thinking about in the end the words written inside the card were as followed _I love you Ikey, I love you as much as I love Cora, so don’t be sad okay and I love how soft your hair is_ the last part had Cora laughing hard enough to cause her stomach to ach especially as the little boy explained that Isaac’s soft hair was the best part of Isaac. ****

 

Once Isaac’s card was finished Cora and he made their way into the study where they found Isaac nose deep in a thick book face scrunched up into a frown, a frown that vanished as Genim threw his whole body against Isaac’s leg and shouted excitedly, `I made cald fo’ you Ikey. Look!´ Isaac peered down at the little boy for a heartbeat before picking the toddler up and placing him on his lap while trying to avoid getting an eyeful of a handmade card; a card that was raining glitter all over the place.

 

`Thank you.´ the werewolf said as he took the card, the toddler settling down on his lap and pointing at the slightly overly decorated card. 

 

`Pletty flowels fo’ you, an’ my hand too.´ the toddler explained rather proudly which caused Cora to smirk a little while rolling her eyes, Isaac nodded as he well should before responding as would expected.

 

`Oh this is the most beautiful card I’ve ever been given. Thank you Gem.´ Isaac says admiring the card and Genim beamed with the praise he’d been given which was adorable enough for Cora to snap a picture of the glitter covered toddler and send it to every member in the pack. 

 

`Wolds Ikey, the wolds.´ Genim said before opening the card to reveal even more glitter and flowers, but also a set of words which warmed Isaac’s heart while also causing him to blush a little. 

 

`You no sad no mo’? You like it? ´ Genim asked while reaching out to play with Isaac’s hair.

 

`I’m not sad anymore.´ Isaac said while kissing the top of the toddlers little head, `And I don’t just like this card I love it,´ the words caused the little boy to stiffen but relax immediately, Isaac had come to realizes that the little boy was rather sensitive more so than Stiles had been.

 

`Thank you Genim. I love it.´ 

 

The little boy beamed happily up at Isaac who continued to say.

 

`No thank you’s Ikey.´ Genim said very seriously, `No need.´ then the toddler stood up and hugged the werewolf tightly, `I love Ikey.´ 

 

`Come on Bit let’s get out of Isaac’s hair so he can study.´ Cora said while approaching the two, Genim whines pitifully, `But I like is hail is soft..´ Cora can’t stop the burst of laughter that escapes her and Isaac most certainly can’t stop the brightening of his cheeks. 

 

`Off we go Bit.´ Cora says while reaching for Genim who quickly gives Isaac a soft peck on his burning red cheek, another little unhappy noise escapes the toddler but there’s no tantrum or screaming if anything Genim just rests against Cora as she heads towards the exit with Genim who waves at Isaac goodbye he whole way. 

 

`Cowa? ´ Genim asked while they make their way into the living-room where Cora had planned to have Genim clean-up the mess he’d created before settling on the couch for some Disney movies and cuddling, `I wanna make calds.´ 

 

`But you already did, Bit or did you forget? ´ 

 

`I no foget silly Cowa, but I need make calds.´ the toddler says very seriously while wrapping his hand-up with Cora’s hair, `I need make them. So no mo’ sad.´

 

`You’re sad?´ Cora asks sniffing at the toddler in a way that would’ve caused Stiles Stilinski to make one of his annoying dog jokes, and yes there’s something wrong with the toddler althoughGenim didn’t smell like he was sad or hurt.

 

`No. But I need to make calds so no one be sad.´Genim explains rather seriously or rater as seriously as a toddler could be serious, `Made you one and Ikey, but no to daddy o’ Dewek, o’ Jax. ´ And Cora understand immediately, and although a part of her wants to argue that there was no point in making any more cards.

 

`Fine. But it’s just Derek and Daddy and Jax, right?´ Genim nods, but sadly Genim realized once he’d finished the three cards that there were still a few members of their pack without a card, and thus Cora’s dream of cuddling on the couch turned out to be a distant dream. And Cora was a little bit surprised by how easily she gave into Genim’s wishes. 

 

By the time they’re finished with several cards both she and Genim were covered in glitter and glue, it was rather apparent that Genim couldn’t handle the idea that someone was left out feeling sad and unloved there for three cards turned into five card. And by the time they were finished with making all of the cards Genim had felt needed to be made thefirst knock on the door was heard and Cora was left to clean-up the mess alone, while Genim ran towards the door holding a couple of cards in his little messy hands pausing at the door the moment Peter’s voice rang-out from the kitchen, `Baby what have I told you about opening the door? ´ 

 

Genim comes to a halt immediately little. And the expression of deep thought makes it difficult for Cora not to think Genim is the cutest thing in the whole wide world, puppies and kittens had nothing on the little boy who was struggling to find the answer to his father’s question. 

 

`Not too? ´ Genim asks turning to look over at Peter who comes strolling out of the kitchen still wearing an apron and drying his hands.

 

`That’s right baby, and why not? ´ Peter ask while lowering himself down to Genim’s eyelevel.

 

`I no know who it is? ´ Genim asks, and Peter plants a soft kiss on the forehead of his little boy before saying, `That’s my boy.´ ruffling the soft hair of the little boy before straightening back up while perching the little life on his hip. Cora knows that if it wasn’t someone Peter knew and trusted then her uncle would’ve had brought Genim to her so that if there was a threat behind the door the child was protected and kept safe. 

 

Watching her uncle now Cora couldn’t help but smile a little even because when she’d returned to Beacon Hills, when she’d come across her uncle and brother she hadn’t recognized either one from the Peter and Derek she’d known before the fire, but now she was seeing _her_ uncle once more and it made her feel strangely safe and happy. 

 


	9. Where are you Jackson Whittemore?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait but at least we get a small smidge of Jackson and Genim together, sure there's also a little moment between Lydia and Jackson too so sorry about that.   
>  I have no idea why I did such a stupid thing as Genim POV here but bear with me it’s not a long one and just a brief passing of lunacy.

 

Jackson knows he’s running late and all because he had to take a nap, a stupid nap and now he was running late. Jackson throws a quick goodbye to his mother who was getting ready for some gathering involving his dad and his coworkers before rushing out the doorand almost crashing into Lydia who’s standing there right outside the front door of the Whittemore house, seeing Lydia causes him to falter for a minute because he’s never before seen her this undone before; her beautiful strawberry blond hair seemed to have gone from best friends with a hairbrush to enemies, her eyes were red and puffy like she’d been crying the assumption seemed to be validated by the dark smudges around the eyes, Lydia looked like a wreck because even her clothes were a wrinkled mess, but what truly rooted Jackson to the ground wasn’t just the desperation he could see in her once so beautiful eyes but the stench of all the mixed emotions she’d been and was still experiencing there. 

 

The stench coming off of Lydia was so thick and suffocating it reminded Jackson of his grandmother’s way of using far too much perfume, and like with his grandmother he stood there now trying hard not to breathe. 

 

Seeing Lydia like this, smelling her anger and grief and all the other confusing scents coming off of her, throws Jackson off of his game and he just stands there for a minute gawking at her like Stilinski would’ve done. Jackson is yanked away from his immobile state by the way his phone begins to vibrate in his pocket.

 

`Lydia.´ Jackson says as courtly as possible while digging out his phone and glancing at the caller ID which just happens to belong to one Peter Hale, Jackson answers the call immediately glaring at Lydia who’s opening her mouth to speak into silence; there’s a fear in him that something might’ve happened to his little Gem-Gem.

 

`Jax!?´ the loud little voice shakes a little relieved laughter out of Jackson and he breathes out, `Gem-Gem.´Lydia stares wide eyed at Jackson who moves away from her.

 

Jackson hadn’t been keeping his phone on much since Lydia had begun to bombard him calls and messages, he’d only turned his phone on once he’d awoken from his stupid nap that had made him late, it was Lydia’s stupid pestering that had contributed to his tardiness, Jackson should’ve known that ignoring Lydia would bring her to his door eventually.

 

`Jax? I wait you no come?´ Jackson could see in his mind’s eye how his Gem-Gem’s lower lip was trembling a little while he spoke, `Why you no come? You sick? ´ 

 

`No Gem-Gem I’m not sick,´ Jackson says while making his way past a gawking Lydia who is surprisingly easy to ignore while talking to the toddler, then again Genim Hale was rather distracting on the worst of days as well as the best. 

 

`Then why you no come? ´ the little boy asked and there was something heartbreaking, soul crushing about that young little voice on the other end, `You no like me no mo’ Jax?´ Jackson stops walking, he feels sick to his stomach by just the thought that his little man had even the faintest thought that he didn’t like the adorable little boy.

 

`I’ll always like you Gem-Gem.´ Jackson says softlywithout hesitation or doubt, digging out his keys from his jacket, `I just took a nap and I slept too long that’s all and that’s why I’m late Gem-Gem but I’m coming, I promise.´ 

 

`You plomise? ´ the little boy asked voice growing once more light and happy which makes Jackson happy. 

 

`I promise Gem.´ Jackson says smiling as a warm sensation spreads through his body, he’s not sure why but every time he speaks with Gem even just through the means of his phone Jackson’s heart swelled with love he’d never imagined he could feel, and at times he imagines this is the way he would’ve perhaps felt if his parents had ever adopted a little brother or a little sister; and it was this sensation of unconditional love he felt towards and from Genim that gave Jackson a hope that he could perhaps one day turnout to be a father to a couple of kids of his own, a thought that he’d dismissed for many years until Genim came along all hugs and bright smiles. 

 

`I wait then Jax. I wait fo’ you.´ the little boy tells him and Jackson is certain that the boy will indeed wait for him, and so he knows to make haste. 

 

`You do that Gem. Now I’ve got to go, can’t be driving and talking on the phone now can I? ´ Jackson says unlocking his car. 

 

`No!´ Genim exclaims with the loudness of a little child who is eager to make his point come across loud and clear, ` you no talk an’ diving Jax.´ Gemin says very seriously and Jackson can’t help the little tickle of a laughter that wants to escape him because he can almost see the little boy nodding very seriously.

 

`Jackson.´ Lydia calls out to him while walking towards him and Jackson can’t stop the glare he shoots at her, he fears what would happen if Peter heard her perhaps the somewhat overly protective father would deem Jackson unworthy to remain close to his son, Lydia falls silent as if aware how close to knocking her out he’s become from just the thought of being denied access to the little toddler who is schooling him on the dangers of talking on the phone and driving;Jackson isn’t too surprised by the knowledge that Peter is educating his son on how to avoid getting killed, and why shouldn’t he considering they’d already grieved over Genim’s death once too many times. 

 

`Now Gem, I’ve got go, but I’ll see you soon.´ Jackson says while watching Lydia approach him with cautious steps. 

 

`Okay Jax. I wait. Bye-bye.´ Genim says and ending the call before Jackson can say another word. 

 

A smile pulls at Jackson’ lips while he slips the phone into his jacket pocket because Genim is such an eager little thing, but his smile flickers and dies the moment he looks over at the young woman he’d loved and perhaps still loved somewhat because Lydia Martin is a threat that he can’t ignore or trust; and wasn’t that a strange thought, that he Jackson Whittemore trusted Peter Hale far more than he did Lydia Martin?

 

`Lydia.´ Jackson says trying not to sound so put-off by her presence, but it is a struggle. Opening the driver’s side door of the car that held Genim’s car seat and the little gift he’d bought for the little boy, Jackson gives Lydia a minute of his time perhaps because their past made her worthy of that much. 

 

` _How_ could you?´ are not the words he expects her to spit at him, and he’s taken aback a little by the harshness of her voice and the anger in her eyes, ` How _could_ you _not_ tell me that Stiles is _alive_?´Lydia asks while grabbing him by the arm, her hold is tight and if he was just human he would be in pain and sporting a bruise tomorrow morning, but he is no longer just human and so he doesn’t pull away immediately.

 

`Stiles _is alive_ and you didn’t tell me?´ and she’s about to continue speaking but Jackson breaks whatever words she’d been about to throw at him and yanks his arm free because he’s heard enough, he needs to get going because there’s a little boy waiting for him and he’s already running late. 

 

`Stiles isn’t alive Lydia, he’s dead.´ Jackson says sharply moving his body to take a seat inside the car his father might’ve bought him with the promise that Jackson would keep working on his education even if all he wanted to do was hang around Genim. 

 

`Don’t feed me that nonsense. I saw him. …´ Lydia hisses but he’ll have none of that and slams the car door shut before her very eyes, he’s late, he’s running late and he’s pissed at himself for being late because he’d hoped he’d get a chance to hang with Genim alone before dinner before the others arrived to steal the attention away from the little boy. He’d wanted arrive early so he could’ve had a talk with Peter about taking Genim to the pool with him. 

 

** ~*~ **

 

Genim Hale loves everyone in his family, her really does love all of them, he loves Ikey’s soft hair and the way he sneaks food to him all the time, he loves the way Ally kisses his cheeks and the way she laughs, he loves the way Scotty tells him all the amazing stories of Stiles the Amazing and the way he sneaks him Reeses’ treats when no one is looking but if they are caught he takes the blame so Genim doesn’t get punished for being bad. Genim loves Derek’s food and the way he sings the Tummy Song to him and the way he carries him on his shoulders through the scary forest, and Genim loves Cora who helps him make lovely things from paper and twigs and he likes the way she sings and chases him around the house and garden. Genim loves Danny even if he’s not around all that much but he’s nice and lets him play with his phone and the colorful games on it. 

 

And Genim loves his daddy the best because his daddy isn’t mean or scary but strong and nice, he kisses and cuddles Genim even when Genim doesn’t need them and always tells him he’s a good boy even when Genim isn’t sure he really is all that good. Daddy chases away the mean voice that sometimes yells inside of Genim’s mind and keeps the bad-man in his dreams away, his daddy is the best daddy in the world and Genim knows it. Genim loves his daddy the best and at times he feels a bit bad about it.

 

Genim loves Jax because Jax is the coolest even though he doesn’t tell him stories about Stiles the Awesome like Scotty and daddy do, and he loves Jax even if his hair isn’t as soft and long as Ikey’s or Ally’s, and Genim loves him even if Jackson doesn’t sneak him food like Ikey and Scotty and Cora do.Genim loves Jax even if he doesn’t cook or bake like Derek does and doesn’t sing the Tummy Song like Derek does, and Genim loves Jax even if he can’t teach him how to make pretty things from stuff Genim picks from the forest floor like Cora can, and he loves Jax even though he’s not always there to cuddle and kiss away the bad voices and dreams, and Genim loves Jax even though he doesn’t think Danny should let him play games on his phone unless they are educational whatever that means. 

 

Genim is a bit ashamed to admit that he might’ve put a little bit more effort in making not only daddy’s card but also Derek’s because they take so good care of him, like making sure he eats right and drinks enough and goes to the potty and they are never mad when he has an accident like on the couch while watching cartoons.Genim’s a bit ashamed of putting far more attention on Jax’s card than he did with Scotty’s and Ally’s, but that is simply because Genim knows Jax only likes pretty things and cool things and so Genim had to put more time and effort on Jax’s card than what he did on Cora’s or Ikey’s or Danny’s. Genim wants to give Jax a pretty cool card that Jax will love as much as Genim loves Jax, but still Genim feels a little bit ashamed that he hadn’t put as much thought and time on Ikey’s and Cora’s cards.

 

He’s waiting for Jax on the porch swing with Ally and Scotty while Cora finishes cleaning up the mess they made in the living-room and daddy and Derek are setting up the table and other important stuff with the help of Danny, he’s sitting in Ally’s lap and she’s got him wrapped up in a blanket and she and Scotty are talking in low voices at times sharing little kisses but Genim doesn’t care about none of that because he’s waiting for Jax. And Genim keeps his eyes on the road on which he knows Jax will be driving on, and he shushes Scotty and Ally every time they make too much noise that would make it difficult for him to hear Jax’s car but neither Ally or Scotty get mad at him for it if anything it seemed to make her kiss his cheeks and the top of his head more. 

 

Genim sits keeping Jax’s card close just to make sure it’s safe, just to make sure he doesn’t drop it or loses it, he needs to make sure nothing bad happens to the card he’d so much time making; Genim needs to guard Jax’s card so nothing bad happens to the little card because everyone else except Derek and daddy hadn’t got theirs yet because Genim wants to give them once it’s night-night-time, had been so happy to get their cards and everyone said they were beautiful. 

 

Genim knows it’s not very polite to ignore everyone else the way he’s doing at the moment and he will make it up to them once Jax is there, he’ll hug and give kisses to everyone whole have them. but at the moment he really needs to wait for Jax and give him his card but it’s so very hard to sit and wait because Jax isn’t there yet even though he’d promised he’d be there soon. 

 

`Why he no come?´ Genim whines unhappily for the fifth time since he’d settledon the porch swing, of course it might have been more than five but Genim isn’t all that good at counting yet so he thinks it’s the fifth time, but regardless of how many times little Genim Hale had whined out the question one thing was for sure and that was that Jax should be there by now and Genim doesn’t like it that he’ s not where he should be; but what turns Genim’s worry and anxiousness to anger is the way Ally laughs at him and Genim doesn’t know what it is about that sound that makes him feel so very unhappy but it does, and when she continues to laugh Genim decides he doesn’t want to sit with Ally anymore and tries to get away but Ally pulls him back and now Scotty is laughing too it makes the hurt in Genim’s chest grow and he just stops moving only to wail for his daddy which startles both Ally enough for her to drop him.

 

His butt hurts now and he can’t breathe and it causes him to cry even louder for his daddy because daddy can make it better and Genim knows it.

 

`Daaaddyy!´ Genim cries out while someone who isn’t his daddy picks him up and tries to hold him but they aren’t his daddy and Stiles wants his daddy, someone is kissing his cheek but it doesn’t feel right and Genim is scared and he’s hurting and he just wants his daddy. 

 

`Genim? What happened? ´ Genim hears his daddy say from somewhere close but he can’t see him because he can’t stop crying, there is just too many tears and all he can do is reach out for his daddy blindly and cry for him while the mean people are laughing and calling him names grow louder inside his head making him feel sad and stupid; the bad man is there too telling him no one loves him, that he’s weak and useless and that’s why everyone leaves and hates him. 

 

`Daaaddyyy.´ Genim wails once while making grabby hands hopefully towards his daddy and not Ally or Scotty because they are mean and he doesn’t like them anymore.

 

`I’m here baby.´ he hears his daddy say while being moved into the familiar arms of his daddy, and Genim latches onto him and just cries against his neck rubbing his snotty tearstained face against the strong shoulder. Genimfeels safe there in his daddy’s arms and even more so when his daddy rubs his back and tells him he’s going to be okay and that he’s there, and because he feels safe he continues to sob out the hurt.

 

`I’m here. What’s wrong baby? Can you tell daddy what’s wrong? ´ but before Genim can really figure out what to say he hears Scotty and Ally telling his daddy how he’d started to try and wriggle his way out of Ally’s hold and falling, but Genim doesn’t think the hurt on his but is the reason he’s so sad and he just holds his daddy tighter and daddy does the same. 

 

Genim needs his daddy to make it all better, make him feel not stupid. 

 

`Gem, I think Jax is coming.´ Scotty says but Genim doesn’t trust or believe him and just continues to hug his daddy, it’s only when his daddy tells him to look that Genim does, and the second he sees the familiar car all the anger and hurt drains from his little body and Genim shrieks with joy, `JAX!´

 

`JAX! ´ Genim shrieks with excitement sand starts to wriggle in his daddies hold, but his daddy doesn’t let go until Jax has parked his car. 

 

** ~*~ **

 

Jackson isn’t surprised when Genim races towards him screaming out his name like he was the bringer of chocolate and rainbows and fluffy little kittens, but what is surprising was the gathering of pack on the porch as well as the displeasing scent of unhappiness and tears that he catches when the little body crashes against his own soft little arms wrapping around his neck while he brings his body back up to stand with Genim in his arm.His little Gem-Gem doesn’t seem to be upset anymore but it still gnaws at Jackson’s insides to know that something had upset the little boy not too long ago, and so he holds the toddler just a little bit closer and looks up at the man who’d become the father the child needed and thus was the person Jackson had expected to protect and care for the little boy in his arms, immediately Peter turns his eyes that swiftly go from soft and warm to hard and cold as his glare is directed towards a pair of very guilty and worried looking Scott McCall and Allison Argent; and it isn’t only Peter who glares at the two but also the Alpha and his sister but also Lahey even Danny seems to understand something had happened between the two lovers and the toddler clutching onto Jackson tightly because Danny too looks annoyed with Argent and McCall.

 

`Gem-Gem my little man.´ Jackson says while nudging gently at the chin of the little boy with his own alerting the toddler to the fact his attention was needed, and so the little boy with beautiful orbs of whiskey-colored brown gazes into Jackson’s own much lighter shaded eyes which are not red from crying like Genim’s were, `What made you cry? ´ 

 

Genim drops his head down on Jackson shoulder and little fingers play with the collar of Jackson’s shirt and the short hairs at the back of his neck, and with a sad sigh the little boy answers, `I sad.´ 

 

`And why’s was my little Gem-Gem sad?´ Jackson asks softly he can tell without looking how several pairs of eyes are back on the two of them but he doesn’t care for anyone else at the moment but the little boy in his arms.

 

`He was waiting for you, ´ McCall answers hurriedly like the idiot he was, `and you were running late, ´and there was the drop of accusatory Jackson had expected and waited to hear, but he doesn’t care about how much McCall might blame him because he knows there’s more to the story.

 

`And he fell.´ McCall finishes and it all just earns Scott a glare from Jackson who was certain he hadn’t been talking to McCall when asking Gemin to tell him what had dimmed his usually so cheerful spirits, and it seems Gem was as displeased with Scott McCall answering on his behalf. 

 

`NO.´ Genim says painfully loudly and the stench of unhappiness grows as does the scent of tears threatening to spill, and Genim shoots an angry glare at McCall before turning to look at Jackson as if asking him not to believe in the words that had fallen from the betas. 

 

`No?´ Jackson pries gently and Genim looks uncertain for a minute before leaning in and whispering words into Jackson ear, words which were undoubtedly heard by the other were’s too. 

 

`I wait fo’ you, an’ I wowwie because you no come.´ Genim confesses with a pout and Jackson curses internally the stupid nap he took as well as Lydia,` I say so an’ – an’ they laugh at me Jax,´ oh yes Peter and several other pairs of glowing eyes were glaring daggers at the two lovers and it took everything in Jackson not to do the same, instead he continues to hum in acknowledgement and rumbling softly to try and comfort the upset child in his arms, `they laugh at me an’ it hults.´ and there they come the tears and Jackson holds Genim closer, `It hults mo’e than my fall hult my but.´

 

`You two are on dishwashing and table clearing duty for two months from this day forward,´ the Alpha growls at Allison and Scott who both look ashamed of themselves and yet it doesn’t lessen the anger in Jackson the slightest and from the blazing anger in Peter’s eyes it is clear the father of the toddler was no less pleased by the punishment given, **`** And you two just know that there will be no holding back when it comes to training.´ Derek growls before going quiet when Genim continues to whisper into Jackson’s ears words that halt all of their hearts.

 

`An’ the voice, the mean ones say I stupid an’ a letawed an’ weild,´ Jackson nearly drops the child because there’s something eerily familiar about the words, he’d called Stiles all those things way back when they were just a pair of little kids and not just once had he called the boy stupid or a retard or weird before his vocabulary grew more vicious and creative, but before he can focus too much on that because suddenly Genim says something that causes everyone who hears them growl, `An’ the bad man, the one who put me in the water,´ Genim’s entire body trembles at the memory and he sounds so small and afraid that Jackson can’t control his wolf and so claws slip free but without harming the child, and fangs drop while alert eyes scan the area for any threats. ****

 

`The bad man said no one love me, ´ and just the memory seemed to be enough to cause the little boy break down in loud uncontrollable sobs, `he say I no good an’ eveyone leave me. I no want be alone Jax.´

 

`Oh baby.´ Peter breathes out before rushing towards his son and Jackson who hugs the little boy tighter while promising without hesitation or reservation that he loves Genim and would always race to his side if Genim needed him too and Jackson would;damn it if he was across the country for some unforeseeable reason and the boy called him asking him to come home Jackson would hire a goddamn private plane or a helicopter and do just that, and it shocked Jackson how strongly he felt about never letting Genim Hale down.

 

`We all love you baby boy, oh so much.´ Peter tells his son while gently prying him off of Jackson who swears that during the next training session he would break both of McCall’s knees and arms and shove Allison down into the dirt because they were somehow to blame for how shook-up Gem-Gem was, and if Jackson ever came across the Sheriff without any witnesses around then he Jackson Whittemore would bash his head in.

 

`Jax.´ Genim whined as he was moved out of Jackson’s hold little hands reaching out towards him, `You no go Jax.´ the boy pleaded which had Jackson taking one of the little hands and kissing the back of the hand.

 

`Silly Gem-Gem, I’m not going anywhere.´ Jackson says while nodding towards his car, `but I need to get your present from the car.´

 

Genim’s tears stopped and his eyes went wide with disbelief.

 

`Fo’ me?´ Genim asked eyes growing a little bitwider and Jackson nods, before saying, `Yes Gem, for you.´and a bright little smile erupted on the little face which earned Jackson a thankful smile from Peter Hale. Jackson retrieves the present his mother had thankfully wrapped for him because if Jackson had done it, well the package wouldn’t look as good as it did with the colorful wrapping paper and the massive bow to top it all off; then again he doubts his mother would’ve allowed him to walk out of the house with a poorly wrapped gift even if it was for a toddler. 

 

`Let’s all get inside and see what Genim’s managed to charm Jackson into buying for him.´ Peter says voicelighter while making his way up the garden path that would take him around the house or up to the porch, everyone starts to drift indoors but before Peter and Genim do so Peter turns around to look Jackson straight in the eye and with a voice that left no room for telling tales the oldest pack member says, `Oh and Jackson I would love it if we could have a talk about the reasons behind you seeing Ms. Martin.´ 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What in honest to God was I thinking with the whole Genim POV? Sorry about turning Allison and Scott into the baddies for a minute here, it shall not happen again.


End file.
